THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THE HOT SEAT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE NOPD CONSENT DECREE. WE’RE JOINED BY DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT NICK GERNAN. FIRST OFF, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. LOT GOING ON WITH THE CONSENT DECREE. HOPEFULLY WE’RE AT THE TAIL END OF IT FOR THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. WOULD THAT BE ACCURATE TO SAY WE’RE IN THE HOME STRETCH? WELL, IT’S ULTIMATELY UP TO THE COURT, BUT THE NOPD REALLY FEELS LIKE WE’VE MADE A GOOD PRESENTATION TO THE COURT ON WHERE WE’RE AT AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, TO THE PUBLIC AS TO WHAT OUR FINAL HURDLES WERE AND HOW WE’VE OVERCOME THEM. OUR MOST RECENT HEARING, UM, LAST WEEK, WAS ABOUT PRESENTING TO THE COURT HOW WE’RE GOING TO IDENTIFY, REDUCE AND ELIMINATE BIAS IN OUR POLICING PRACTICES. AND THAT WAS REALLY THE FOCUS OF THAT HEARING. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE COURT’S COMMENTS, UH, THE COURT IS, IS SATISFIED THAT WE HAVE A GOOD PLAN OF ACTION GOING FORWARD AND THAT WE’VE DEMONSTRATED A RECORD OF SUCCESS GOING BACK AND LET ME JUST BRING PEOPLE UP TO SPEED. IT WAS PUT IN PLACE 2012. FORMER MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU ASKED FOR IT. IT’S FEDERAL GUIDELINES THAT THE NOPD HAS TO FOLLOW IN. IN LAYMAN’S TERMS, YOU’VE CHECKED A LOT OF BOXES. SOME REMAIN UNCHECKED. I THINK THERE WERE TWO KEY AREAS THAT YOU ALL WERE FOCUSING ON. WHAT ARE THOSE TWO? SO THE CONSENT DECREE CONSISTS OF 17 AREAS, 492 DIFFERENT PARAGRAPHS. AND THOSE 17 AREAS, 15 OF THEM. WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE CHECKED, UM, AND THEN THIS YEAR WE ACTUALLY DID SOME PRESENTATIONS TO THE COURT ON STOP SEARCH AND ARREST BACK IN MARCH. AND THE COURT SEEMED PLEASED ON THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE IN THAT REGARD. AND THEN THIS PAST WEEK, WE HAD THE LAST AREA, WHICH WAS IDENTIFYING AND REDUCING AND ELIMINATING BIAS WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THE BIAS FREE SECTION. AND THAT WAS REALLY THE FOCUS OF LAST WEEK’S COURT, UH, HEARINGS, WAS TO TRY AND DEMONSTRATE TO THE COURT AND TO THE PUBLIC WHAT WE’VE DONE TO REDUCE BIAS AND ELIMINATE IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WHAT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO TO KEEP LOOKING FORWARD, WHEREVER IT MIGHT IT MIGHT FIND ITSELF IF YOU COULD HONE IN MORE ON THAT, ELIMINATING BIAS, IS THAT BASICALLY A POLICE OFFICER LOOKING AT SOMEBODY AND SAYING, HEY, I THINK THIS PERSON MAY HAVE DONE SOMETHING BAD OR BRINGING A PERSONAL BIAS BASED ON RACE OR ETHNICITY TO THE JOB. SO. WHEN WE LOOK TO IDENTIFY AND REDUCE AND ELIMINATE BIAS, WE REALLY CAN’T CAST A VERY WIDE NET BECAUSE BIAS CAN MANIFEST ITSELF IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS DEVELOP POLICIES THAT GIVE OUR OFFICERS CLEAR GUIDELINES AND DIRECTIONS ON HOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE, THE NEXT THING THAT WE DO IS STREET TRAIN, BECAUSE IF YOU PUT A BUNCH OF RULES AND POLICIES IN PLACE THAT YOU DON’T ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO HOW TO FOLLOW THEM, THEN YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL AS AN ORGANIZATION. SO WE TRAIN VERY INTENSELY ON BIAS RECOGNITION, ON REDUCING BIAS, ON IMPLICIT BIAS. RIGHT. THOSE HIDDEN BIASES THAT WE ALL HAVE, WE MAKE PEOPLE KIND OF CONFRONT THEM AND THEN WE MONITOR FOR IT. WE LOOK AT IT, WE AUDIT IT IN ACTION AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK ASK, YOU KNOW, IS THE BIAS INDIVIDUAL VERSUS SYSTEMATIC? WE REALLY ARE LOOKING AT BOTH. BUT OUR BIG GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY IF THERE ARE SYSTEMATIC BIASES WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, IF THEIR PROGRAM OR APPROACHES TO US CONDUCTING POLICE ACTIVITIES THAT MIGHT BE ROOTED IN BIAS, OR IF INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS MIGHT BE CONDUCTING BIASED BASED POLICING, IT IS A GAMUT FROM INDIVIDUAL TO DEPARTMENTAL WIDE THAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR. AGAIN, BIAS CAN KIND OF MANIFEST ITSELF IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. WE HAVE TO CAST A VERY WIDE NET TO TRY AND FIND IT AND OVERCOME IT. LET ME ASK YOU THIS. I WANT TO PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE. HOPEFULLY THE CITY COMES OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE CONSENT DECREE IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO. IF YOU DO, IS IT UP TO THE CITY AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE GOOD POLICIES HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY STAY IN PLACE, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU ALL ARE ON YOUR OWN, THERE’S NO BACKSLIDE OR REGRESSION? YEAH. SO THAT’S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE THAT WE THINK IS GOING TO HAVE LONG LASTING, DURABLE, SUSTAINED ABILITY FOR THESE REFORMS IS IS OUR AUDITING PROCESS. SO WE AUDIT AND PUBLISH A TON OF INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT AND MAKE THEIR OWN DETERMINATIONS INDEPENDENTLY, WHETHER WE’RE DOING THINGS THE WAY THAT THEY EXPECT US TO DO IT. AND THIS AUDITING SYSTEM, THE AUDITORS THAT WE HAVE, THE PROTOCOLS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE, WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN POST CONSENT DECREE, BECAUSE A GOOD ORGANIZATION, NOT JUST A GOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT, ANY GOOD ORGANIZATION HAS TO BE SELF-CRITICAL. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT YOURSELF, LOOK AT YOUR ORGANIZATION, LOOK AT YOUR STRUCTURE, AND LOOK FOR THE DEFICIENCY TO BE CORRECTED. BECAUSE IF YOU THINK THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS NO PROBLEMS, YOU’RE PROBABLY A FAILING ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE PUT A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO MEASURE AND AND QUANTIFY ALL OF THOSE DEFICIENCIES SO THAT WE ARE FORCED TO ACCOUNT FOR THEM. AND WORK TO TO RESOLVE THEM. UM, PUBLICLY, THE GOVERNOR IS NO FAN OF THE CONSENT DECREE. HE WASN’T WHEN HE WAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. HE IS NOT RIGHT NOW. HE FEELS FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, THAT IT HANDCUFFS COPS. DO YOU ALL SHARE THAT WHEN YOU WHEN YOU’RE CHASING A SUSPECT OR WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO MAKE AN ARREST, IS THE CONSENT DECREE AT TIMES, AS THE GOVERNOR PUTS IT, A HINDRANCE FOR POLICE OFFICERS. SO THE CONSENT DECREE REALLY IS SETTING THE STANDARD OF CONSTITUTIONAL POLICING AND BEST PRACTICES. I DON’T THINK THAT ANYBODY WOULD EVER SAY THAT BEST PRACTICES IS A HINDRANCE OR A HANDCUFFING OF OUR OFFICERS. IT IS SIMPLY THE WAY THAT BUSINESS IS DONE NOWADAYS. SO THERE’S NOT GOING TO BE A RETURN TO THE OLD RIGHT. THIS IS HOW POLICING IS DONE IN AMERICA. THIS IS HOW POLICING IS DONE IN NEW ORLEANS. AND THESE ARE THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE’VE IMPLEMENTED OVER THE LAST 11 YEARS. SO I’LL LEAVE IT TO OTHERS TO MAKE THOSE TYPES OF COMMENTS. I THINK THAT AS I LOOK AT THIS ORGANIZATION, I WAS HERE WAY BEFORE THE CONSENT DECREE. I’VE BEEN HERE DURING THE CONSENT DECREE, AND I PLAN TO BE HERE WAY AFTER THE CONSENT DECREE ENDS. THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO POLICING IN AMERICA TODAY, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO COMMIT TO FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES IT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. FINAL QUESTION. AS WE WRAP UP HERE, THIS IS THE ONE THAT NOBODY HAS A CRYSTAL BALL. FEDERAL JUDGE SUSIE MORGAN IS ESSENTIALLY JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER. SHE DECIDES WHEN THE NYPD COMES OUT FROM UNDER THIS ANN KIRKPATRICK IS SAID SHE WANTS TO BE HERE THROUGH MAYOR CANTRELL’S TERM, WHICH ENDS IN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. DO YOU SEE US IN A YEAR? AND A HALF GETTING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THIS? AND THE NOPD BEING DONE WITH THE FEDERAL CONSENT DECREE? THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. SO WHEN THE JUDGE FINDS THAT WE HAVE ALL AREAS OF THE CONSENT DECREE INTO COMPLIANCE, WE’RE GOING TO ENTER INTO A TWO YEAR SUSTAINABILITY PERIOD. WHEN THAT PERIOD BEGINS IS UP TO THE JUDGE. BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT TWO YEAR SUSTAINABILITY PERIOD IS REALLY OUR OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE CITIZENS OF NEW ORLEANS THAT WE DESERVE TO, YOU KNOW, BE RETURNED TO BASICALLY LOCAL CONTROL. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT NICHOLAS GERNAN, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME A LOT TO TALK ABOUT HERE. YOU ARE RIGHT. YOU HAVE BEEN HERE LONG BEFORE THE CONSENT DECREE. SO YOU HAVE SEEN A LOT ON YOUR DAYS ON THE JOB HERE. AND LOOK, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF UPDATE THE PUBLIC ON WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THIS. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS, AS A NATIVE NEW ORLEANIAN, WE DESERVE A GOOD, WELL TRAINED POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL GIVE US THE POLICING SERVICES THAT WE NEED. AND I THINK, THINK THAT WE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THAT GOING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND TALKING CANDIDLY ABOUT IT. THAT’S ALL THE TIME THAT WE HAVE FOR THE HOT SEAT. I’M TRAVERS MACKEL HE’S NICHOLAS GERNAN. YOU CAN WATCH THIS ENTIRE SEGMENT STARTING MONDAY MORNING ON WDSU DOT COM. AND THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES BECAUSE THERE IS A HEARING ON THE NOPD CONSENT DECREE WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 10 A.M. ST