NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the new system of police off-duty paid details, siding with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration.
NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports (https://bit.ly/1kmM541 ) the new policy is a major piece of a wide-ranging consent decree between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan rejected claims by two police associations and the New Orleans Civil Service Commission that the city’s takeover of police off-duty work violated civil service law by setting officer pay rates and trampled on the rights of officers to enter into private contracts with businesses.
Morgan is overseeing implementation of the consent decree aimed at overhauling the police department. The court order requires the creation of a new office outside of the department to manage details, which were famously described by federal authorities as the “aorta of corruption” in the department during negotiations over the consent decree.
Critics said the old system, in which officers managed the details themselves, did not treat all officers fairly and could lead some to devote more time and attention to off-duty assignments than their regular jobs. There were also concerns that officers’ coordinating details for a fee created problems within the NOPD’s chain of command.
The ruling comes as the mayor’s new Office of Police Secondary Employment is slowly taking control over management and scheduling of most details, except for those involving schools and special events.
In her 15-page ruling, Morgan rejected claims that the new office was impairing contracts.
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Information from: The Times-Picayune, https://www.nola.com
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