Criminal Justice
Internet sex crimes against children have increased — just not as much as AG Jeff Landry says
Reports of internet crimes against children in Louisiana are up significantly since last year, according to records from the Louisiana Attorney General’s office, but those records show the increase isn’t nearly as dramatic as Attorney General Jeff Landry has claimed. Landry’s office received 2,308 reports of online sexual predators in 2019, and as of Dec.15, […]
New law requires summons instead of arrest for low-level crimes in New Orleans
New Orleans Police officers can no longer arrest people who commit low-level offenses and must instead issue them a court summons, according to a new ordinance adopted by the New Orleans City Council on Thursday. Council members unanimously approved the ordinance, which requires NOPD officers to issue a summons in lieu of making an arrest […]
State trooper arrested in connection with brutality investigation
The Louisiana State Police has arrested one of its own troopers, the son of the agency’s second-in-command after an investigation into a 2019 incident in Ouachita Parish. Jacob Brown, 30, was booked Thursday and faces charges of aggravated second-degree battery and malfeasance in office. Brown is the son of State Police Assistant Superintendent and Chief […]
Louisiana joins anti-trust lawsuit against Facebook
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry joined with 48 other state attorneys general Wednesday in an anti-trust lawsuit against Facebook, alleging the company has continuously destroyed or bought out competitors to maintain a monopoly in the social media sphere. The lawsuit accuses Facebook of illegally acquiring competitors, such as Instagram and What’s App in a predatory […]
Attorney General Jeff Landry inserts Louisiana into voter-fraud conspiracy lawsuit
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has joined with nine other Republican state attorneys general in a voter-fraud conspiracy lawsuit — that cites no actual evidence nor any specific allegations of voter fraud on Nov. 3 — in a last-minute attempt to overturn the presidential election results in Pennsylvania. “As I have repeatedly said, only the […]
Feds investigating Louisiana’s practice of keeping people in prison after their sentences are up
The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into the Louisiana prison system’s longstanding practice of keeping prisoners confined to jail for varying lengths of time past their release date. William Most, a New Orleans attorney representing clients who say they were locked up longer than the law allows, claimed in a lawsuit filed in […]
Louisiana inmates have gone 8 months without visitors. It’s taking a toll.
Gov. John Bel Edwards asked Louisiana residents last week not to gather with family outside their immediate households for Thanksgiving to slow the spread of COVID-19. But for thousands of people in the state prison system, those types of gatherings were already off the table. Because of the pandemic, the Department of Public Safety and […]
Governor not prepared to fire anyone over LSU sexual misconduct scandal yet
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday said he would not call for the terminations of any LSU administrators yet in the wake of a USA Today investigation in which several female students said university officials ignored acts of rape and domestic violence by football players and other male students. “I’m not prepared to say any […]
Louisiana prisons hastily pull plug on resuming family visits during COVID-19
Louisiana prisons have been preparing for about a month to resume family visits during the week of Thanksgiving after suspending them over eight months ago. But prison officials hastily pulled back on those plans Thursday, saying family visits would no longer take place in a few days. The prison system is worried about the rising […]
LSU hires law firm to review sexual misconduct policies after negative report
LSU officials announced they have hired a law firm to conduct an independent review of its sexual misconduct policies in the wake of a USA Today investigation in which several female students said violence and sexual assault perpetrated by football players and other male students had been ignored by the school. Federal laws and LSU’s […]
Louisiana rewards prisoners with $5 for getting flu shot
The Louisiana Department of Corrections is giving a $5 prison-canteen credit to inmates who get the flu shot in its state facilities this year — an incentive that is rare, if not unprecedented. “[G]iven the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical we go above and beyond to urge all inmates, who are otherwise able, to take […]
Who should investigate La. State Police if the agency is ever barred from investigating itself?
Should the Louisiana State Police continue to be allowed to investigate itself? Should police officers be allowed to turn off their body cameras at their own discretion? Members of the Louisiana Legislature’s police reform task force on Tuesday debated those questions with newly-appointed State Police Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis. The task force’s Policy and Oversight […]