INDReporter

Feds investigating BR police

by Leslie Turk

The Advocate reported today that the U.S. Justice Department confirmed Thursday that it is investigating allegations the Baton Rouge Police Department routinely harassed black people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Advocate reported today that the U.S. Justice Department confirmed Thursday that it is investigating allegations the Baton Rouge Police Department routinely harassed black people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. State police officers from New Mexico and Michigan, who went to Baton Rouge to offer assistance after the storm, filed complaints against Baton Rouge police, citing a pattern of violence and discrimination against blacks.

Although The Advocate filed suit in July 2006 for access to the documents detailing the complaints, the documents were not released until February, more than four years after the storm, under state Supreme Court order. Brought to light were details from more than 50 Michigan and New Mexico state troopers about what they experienced in Baton Rouge in the days following Katrina.

Read more of The Advocate's story on the investigation of BR police here and its original story here.