WASHINGTON — The Justice Department accused the New Orleans Police Department on Thursday of systematic misconduct that violated the Constitution, saying that officers used excessive force, illegally arrested people and targeted black and gay residents.
After a 10-month investigation that officials said was unprecedented in scope, the Justice Department issued a report saying that police engaged in racial profiling against the city’s black majority. From January 2009 to May 2010, for example, officers used deadly force against 27 people, officials said. All 27 were African-American.
In releasing their findings at a news conference in New Orleans, Justice Department officials vowed to work with the city to reform the scandal-plagued department, whose reputation has further deteriorated since Hurricane Katrina.
