NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Justice Department official sought to reassure longtime critics of New Orleans police that a new federally backed plan to overhaul the police department will indeed reduce and eliminate decades of racial discrimination, brutality and questionable use of force.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin on Wednesday addressed a small group of community activists a day after the court-supervised agreement between the city and the Justice Department was announced.
The plan still needs approval from a federal judge.
Skeptics included W.C. Johnson of a group called Community United for Change. Johnson said members of the community were left out of negotiations between the city and federal authorities. Austin said that opinions were gathered from a variety of community groups as federal and local officials worked toward the agreement.
