The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has agreed to a sweeping consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve allegations of unlawful misconduct, including excessive force, discriminatory policing, and civil rights abuses.

The DOJ announced the landmark agreement, which will be overseen by a court-appointed monitoring team, in a move aimed at reforming the NOPD and ensuring effective and constitutional policing in New Orleans.

The consent decree requires the NOPD to make broad changes in policies and practices related to use of force, stops, searches and arrests, custodial interrogations, and preventing discriminatory policing, among other areas.

Attorney General Eric Holder praised the agreement, saying, “Today’s action represents a critical step forward. It reaffirms the Justice Department’s commitment to the highest standards of fairness and professionalism and underscores our determination to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect not only the safety – but the essential civil rights – of everyone in this country.”

The consent decree was the product of a civil pattern or practice investigation by the DOJ, which found that the NOPD engages in a pattern or practice of misconduct that violates the Constitution and other federal laws.

The investigation, which began in May 2010, resulted in a comprehensive report that found evidence of excessive force, including stops, searches and arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment, as well as discriminatory policing based on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

The consent decree is unprecedented in scope and nature, and is designed to ensure that comprehensive, sustainable reforms are made in the NOPD, according to Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana Jim Letten hailed the agreement as a “critical milestone in the recovery of New Orleans and a victory for our city, its police department and most of all its citizens.”

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