NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has approved a sweeping agreement between the Justice Department and the city of New Orleans designed to clean up the city's troubled Police Department.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan issued a ruling Friday that says the consent decree is "fair, adequate and reasonable."
The court-supervised agreement would require the Police Department to overhaul its policies and procedures for use of force, training, interrogations, searches and arrests, recruitment, and supervision.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu has estimated the city will pay roughly $11 million annually for the next four or five years to implement the reforms.
The agreement resolves the Justice Department's allegations that New Orleans police officers engaged in a pattern of discriminatory and unconstitutional activity.
