April 6, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
media@aclu.org NEW ORLEANS -- In response to news reports of an assault on an
African American woman by three white police officers, the American Civil
Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed a Public Records Act request with the
New Orleans Police Department seeking information on racial profiling and police
misconduct. The civil liberties group is calling for a swift and impartial
response to the assault, and seeks systemic reform of the police department.
"The ACLU hopes that the police department will take this assault
incident very seriously, and consider criminal charges against the officers,"
said Katie Schwartzmann, a Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Louisiana. "Fairness
demands that police officers get the same treatment as would any other person
who commits an assault. If the evidence supports an assault charge, they should
be prosecuted."
New Orleans is not new to excessive force problems
within the police department. Recent months have seen the beating of Robert
Davis on Bourbon Street, and the shooting of Anthony Hayes on St. Charles
Avenue. The problems were rampant before the storm, with the arrest of one
officer on rape charges and, in an unrelated incident, the death of Raymond
Robair. Both the death of Robair and the rape occurred in the month preceding
Hurricane Katrina.
The ACLU filed the Public Records Request in
partnership with Safe Streets/ Strong Communities, a coalition of lawyers,
advocates and concerned citizens working toward a new criminal justice system in
New Orleans.
"Based on complaints we receive, we believe that
police violence and unwarranted stops disproportionately affect people of
color," said Schwartzmann. "It's time to take a look at whether the New Orleans
Police Department is conducting the trainings required by its profiling policy.
We also need to look at the volume of complaints from citizens, and the ultimate
disposition of those complaints. This is not a new problem. This is not a
Katrina problem. The department must take steps to reprimand any improper
behavior in this incident, and it must also take steps toward systemic
reform."
Persons who have had problems with police violence or
racial profiling are encouraged to fill out an ACLU complaint form, which can be
found at:
www.laaclu.org/Complaints/complaint_form1.htm The
ACLU's request for documents is online at:
www.laaclu.org/040606NOPDPRR.pdf
