New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Police Department and local authorities, in general, have a major credibility issue. As reports show, you simply cannot trust the NOPD to police its own ranks and discipline officers charged with misconduct. Back when he was campaigning for office, New Orleans DA Jason Williams promised to create a list of local police officers with credibility issues, but two years later it appears that almost half of the officers involved are still on the force. The list, which was compiled by the NOPD, contains the names of 100 police officers with sustained allegations of misconduct, some of them dating back to 2013. 40 of these officers are still with the NOPD.What is even more troubling is that the list doesn’t even include officers accused of serious types of police misconduct such as misuse or failure to use body cams, use of excessive force, and coercing confessions. For instance, an officer arrested in 2020 for molesting a teenage girl is still on the streets pending an internal investigation.If you were the victim of police brutality, your best shot at seeing justice done is to contact the best New Orleans police brutality lawyers you can find and file a lawsuit.What are the most common forms of police brutality in New Orleans?Illegal strip searches, use of excessive force, and racial profiling are the most common types of police misconduct in Louisiana.Excessive force

Marine Cpl. Richard Collins executes a rear choke technique on Marine Sgt. Kyle Himes during Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) training aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19). U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Phylicia A. Hanson/Released. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Law enforcement agents are required to use only a reasonable amount when carrying out their duties. When confronted with an armed and threatening suspect, the use of force is legitimate as police officers must protect their own lives and other members of the public. However, police officers are not allowed to use any kind of force against a suspect who is not resisting or when they have a mandate for the arrest of someone who is charged with a non-violent charge. Whenever officers use batons, tasers, kicks, or chokeholds to subdue an unresisting or handcuffed suspect that qualifies as police misconduct. A knowledgeable Louisiana police brutality lawyer can help you file a civil rights lawsuit.Illegal  strip searchesPolice officers cannot carry out strip searches without a warrant or probable cause. If they do so, this is a violation of your rights as guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which says:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Even if you were stopped for a legitimate reason, such as a traffic rule violation, that doesn’t give the officers the right to search you or your car. If they had no probable cause, experienced police brutality lawyers will file a lawsuit and you are entitled to seek damages for the degrading treatment you were subjected to.Racial profilingThis is a major problem in New Orleans, as studies show that people of color are more frequently targeted by illegal police actions. If two cars are speeding down the road, the police are much more likely to stop the one driven by a black or Latino individual. In such a case, you can file a lawsuit for police brutality, as well as for racial profiling which is strictly prohibited in Louisiana.