[2] Since 2012, the NOPD has been in a federal consent decree where it has to implement sweeping reforms to address a wide array of structural problems identified by the U.S. Department of Justice in a 2011 report.

The formation of the New Orleans Police Department was first recorded in 1796, during the administration of Baron Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet.

[6] On November 8, 1803, Mayor Etienne de Boré held the first council meeting, and appoints a committee to inspect prisons and formulate police rules.

In July 1866 Republicans called for a Louisiana Constitutional Convention at the Mechanics Institute in New Orleans, as they were angered by the legislature's passage of Black Codes and failure to provide suffrage for free men of color and freedmen.

[8] The riot "stemmed from deeply rooted political, social, and economic causes," and took place in part because of the battle "between two opposing factions for power and office.

In September 1874, in the so-called Battle of Liberty Place, 5,000 members of the White League entered the city in an attempted takeover of state buildings to seat John McEnery, the Democratic candidate for governor.

Well-armed, they overwhelmed the 3500 members of the integrated Metropolitan police force, blacks and Republicans, and occupied the state armory and other buildings for three days.

[10] Despite extremely weak evidence at their trial for the October 1890 murder of NOPD Chief David Hennessey, the acquittal of 11 Italian-Americans resulted in the largest lynching in American history.

[2] In 2011, a Department of Justice report found that the NOPD had structural problems that led officers to engage in constitutional violations and discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, and LGBT status.

[15] On March 1, 2011, the New Orleans Civil Service Commission unanimously approved Superintendent Serpas' proposal to create a new pay plan for 16 new "Police Commanders".

[16] The Police Commanders are responsible for the 17 "Core Components" of the NOPD, including the 8 Patrol Districts and nine other units as noted below.

Following the shooting death of officer Gregory Neupert in 1980, New Orleans police tortured witnesses into giving false statements to support arresting James Billy Jr. and Reginald Miles.

[citation needed] The only Black homicide detective in the department, Oris Buckner III, reported the crimes to a state assistant district attorney.

He also alleged that Sherry Singleton, James Billy Jr. and Reginald Miles were unarmed when police shot and killed them.

[18] Officer Len Davis was found guilty and was sentenced to death for ordering hit-man Paul Hardy to murder Kim Groves, a 32-year-old mother of three children.

On March 4, 1995, Officer Antoinette Frank robbed a local restaurant, and killed two of the owner's children, as well as her own partner who was working security at the business.

[21] One report of violence involved a police shooting of six citizens on the Danziger Bridge, which carries the Chef Menteur Highway (US 90) across the Industrial Canal.

[23] On August 5, 2011, a New Orleans Federal Court jury convicted five police officers of a myriad of charges related to the cover-up and deprivation of civil rights.

[28] In late May 2011, Captain Jeff Winn was fired and a number of other officers were reassigned for concealing details concerning the killing of Henry Glover in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

[31] In 2015, the Independent Police Monitor released a report accusing the NOPD of whitewashing the details of the raid and violating the DOJ consent decree.

The report also accused the officer investigating the killing of ignoring video evidence and being preoccupied with finding a weapon to link to Allen.

One witness said Pratt offered him a firearm and cash to testify that he saw a particular suspect - Edward Allen - at the shooting of Jessie Reed.

Another witness said he was coached by Pratt to identify Allen at a shooting in exchange for leniency on previous, unrelated drug charges.

[36] Allen spent four years in jail awaiting trial for murder, based on the false testimony given by the witnesses.

Breakdown of the makeup of the rank and file of NOPD:[46] In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, shooting, violence and other criminal activity became serious concerns to the authorities, who overreacted.

City Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson told the Associated Press, "The looting is out of control - the French Quarter has been attacked.

Although there were some instances of violent armed robbery of nonessential valuable goods, most incidents were of residents simply gathering food, water and other essential commodities from unstaffed grocery stores.

Beginning on Friday, February 13, 2009, during the annual Mardi Gras celebration, NOPD officers permanently returned to wearing powder blue uniform shirts.

[citation needed] In fall 2007, the Fox television network dramatized post-Katrina New Orleans in the short-lived police drama K-Ville starring Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as NOPD detectives working for the Felony Action Squad (FAS).

[52] The NOPD was actively recruiting to increase manpower in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which preceded an unusually high number of resignations.