On May 15, 2010, we opened an investigation of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Following a comprehensive investigation, on March 17, 2011, we announced our findings. We found that the NOPD has engaged in patterns of misconduct that violate the Constitution and federal law, including a pattern or practice of excessive force, and of illegal stops, searches, and arrests. We found also a pattern or practice of gender discrimination in the Department's under-enforcement and under-investigation of violence against women. We further found strong indications of discriminatory policing based on racial, ethnic, and LGBT bias, as well as a failure to provide critical police services to language minority communities. On July 24, 2012, we reached a settlement resolving our investigation and asked the Court to make our settlement an order enforceable by the Court.

The documents on this page provide more information about the investigation, the Justice Department’s findings, settlement, and next steps.

Request for Proposals to serve as Consent Decree Monitor of the New Orleans Police Department (2012)

Order regarding Request for Proposal (2012)

Complaint (2012)

Consent Decree (2012)

Joint Motion for Entry of the Consent Decree (2012)

Findings Letter to Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu from Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez (2011) (PDF)

Spanish   Vietnamese

Findings Executive Summary (2011) (PDF)

Spanish   Vietnamese

Findings Report, including the Executive Summary (2011) (PDF)