Corruption in the New Orleans Police Department

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Another type of corruption in the New Orleans Police Department is biased policing. The officers often discriminate against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) community. Investigators were told by the LGBT that they are victims of harassment and targets for illegal stops, searches, and arrests. The members of the LGBT are not the only people who are victims of biased policing (Perez). African-Americans, women, and people who do not speak English fluently are also victims of this type of policing (McCarthy and Maggi). Research has shown that there is a 16:1 ratio of African-American teenagers to Caucasian teenagers when being arrested for criminal activity. The national ratio for this study is 3:1. The United States Department of Justice has decided that the level of disproportion in the youth in New Orleans to the youth in the nation is too drastic for it not to be a case of racial profiling. Discriminatory policing on LGBT or race are issues in the New Orleans precinct (Perez).

Corruption in the Police System in New Orleans involves several types of officers. Many cops who perform private details are a major group of the cops defying the system. The officers seem to be doing more private details then their job on the streets and in the courtrooms (Maggi). The letter from Thomas E. Perez to Senator Mitch Landrieu states, “….that NOPD’s Detail system was a significant contributing factor to both the perception and reality of NOPD as a dysfunctional organization.” Other cops that have been known to be involved in this type of corruption of the system are officers who worked during Hurricane Katrina (Johnson). Most of the cops have all just been normal guys working for the NOPD, but it still does not justify their actions.

Police practice many forms of corruption whether it is brutality, illegal searches, or discriminatory policing. The New Orleans society is more damaged when police take too much power of the criminal justice system into their own hands. The police that misuse their power and authority are no longer enforcing justice. Instead, they are making it just to follow force. Overall, there are some good cops out there, but sadly the corruption in the New Orleans Police Department gives most cops a bad name.

Works Cited

"FBI — Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings Involving the New Orleans Police Department." FBI — Homepage. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Johnson, Kevin. "For New Orleans Cops, the Scandals Linger.” USA Today. 19 Aug. 2010. 1A sec. Print.

Maggi, Laura. "NOPD Corruption Fueled by System of Paid, Private Details, Federal Officials Say.” The Times-Picayune [New Orleans] 18 Mar. 2011. Print.

McCarthy, Brendan. "NOPD Deeply Defective, Report Says - It Lacks 'basic Elements of Effective Policing,' Feds Say." The Times-Picayune [New Orleans] 18 Mar. 2011, A01 sec. Print.

McCarthy, Brendan. "New Orleans Police Clash with Mardi Gras Marchers in Faubourg Marigny." The Times-Picayune [New Orleans], 7 Mar. 2011. Print.

McCarthy, Brenda, and Laura Maggi. "NOPD Deficiencies Are across the Board, Federal Investigators Report." Time-Picayune [New Orleans] 17 Mar. 2011. Print.

Perez, Thomas E. Letter to Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu. 16 March. 2011. TS.

Simmons, Kami Chavis. “Criminal Law: The Politics of Policing: Ensuring Stakeholder Collaboration in the Federal Reform of Local Law Enforcement Agencies.” Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology. 73. (2008): 490-536. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 19 October 2011.

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