NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Department is wrapping up the public comment period to enter the final phase of the consent decree. After 12 years under court supervision, Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she is confident that the department will meet its final goals.
Kirkpatrick said she welcomes the public's input. Not just as step toward the finish line, but to learn about areas that may need more attention.
She also wants community buy-in.
"I'm glad the judge wants public comment and she should take it because it's about the community," said Kirkpatrick. "It's about the people who will be living with their police department. And so I feel, and it's not only a feeling, it's my conviction that we have met all of our reform requirements."
Once the public comment period ends, federal judge Susie Morgan will decide whether to allow the city to enter a two-year "sustainment period."
During that final stage, the NOPD must show it can maintain its reforms on its own without the enhanced federal oversight.
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