NEW ORLEANS — In a packed meeting at Loyola Law School Monday evening, federal monitors and the Department of Justice gave an update on the consent decree.
Lead Monitor, Jonathan Aronie, raised concerns about recent NOPD promotions being blocked and said he is looking into the situation.
“NOPD, from what I can tell, is doing the right thing here with promotions. They have a good test. They have a good process and so far, it looks like they implemented it properly," Aronie said, "And now, they’re doing the right thing to double-check for bias. As to whether City Hall meddles in that or not, it’ll be a problem.”
Aronie said this isn't the first time the lack of cooperation from City Hall has been an issue.
We asked Aronie if this could stall the sustainment period – which is a big step towards New Orleans getting out from under our consent decree.
“I do not know what Judge Morgan will ultimately say, but it is frustrating," Aronie said.
The City of New Orleans claims the NOPD promotions were paused due to issues with the promotion testing process. NOPD told WWL Louisiana the process is under review.
New Orleans Independent Police Monitor, Stella Cziment, the process should be reviewed but shouldn't undermine the performance of an officer.
“These candidates are the current leaders of the department. They’re individuals who have worked very hard for their position," Cziment said.
Questions are being raised if the process is the real reason for the pause.
According to our partner at the Times Picayune-New Orleans Advocate, at the top of the promotions list for major were two officers in the public integrity bureau who were both involved in an investigation into Mayor LaToya Cantrell's now retired bodyguard, Office Jeffery Vappie.
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told NOLA.com the mayor did have a say in pausing the promotions.
While the process is reviewed, officers' careers hang in the balance.
“If NOPD does its extra diligence and comes back and says no bias, then we expect this to go forward as planned," Aronie said.
WWL Louisiana has reached out to the Mayor's Office regarding the promotions, but we have not heard back.
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