New Orleans moves to end federal oversight of police

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans officials have formally asked a federal judge to end court-supervised oversight of its police department under a pact negotiated with the U.S. Justice Department a decade ago. The consent decree was approved by a federal judge in January 2013. That followed deadly police shootings of civilians following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which renewed decades of periodic scandals involving corruption and use of force. The city’s motion filed in federal court Tuesday says the police department is now substantially in compliance with the complex document’s many requirements. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has said the requirements imposed by the decree now are an unnecessary burden and detriment to the department.