Fed up, New Orleans looks to shake Murder City title
In 200 murder cases selected from a 13-month span between April 2009 and May 2010, the study found 57 were tied to drugs, while 47 were acts of revenge. Gangs were almost never a factor. Arguments led to 37 killings.
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...(in 2011) the Justice Department issued a scathing report citing the NOPD's "patterns of misconduct that violate the Constitution and federal law."
The report wasn't talking merely about high-profile cases such as the Danziger Bridge incident, in which officers were convicted of fatally shooting unarmed civilians. The misconduct was far more deeply rooted, the report said.
"NOPD's failure to ensure that its officers routinely respect the Constitution and the rule of law undermines trust within the very communities whose cooperation the department most needs to enforce the law and prevent crime. As systematic violations of civil rights erode public confidence, policing becomes more difficult, less safe, and less effective, and crime increases," the report said.
full: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/us/new-orleans-murder/index.html