By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s jail advisory working group is moving slower than expected, and members are beginning to polarize on contentious issues relating to the total space in Orleans Parish Prison. The group initially was charged with making a recommendation on the overall jail size by Nov. 22, […]
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Posted inCriminal Justice
Rookie cop quits after allegedly brandishing two guns during off-duty altercation
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | A rookie New Orleans cop has resigned after allegedly brandishing two guns during an off-duty altercation at a gas station on Friday, city officials said Monday. New Orleans Police Department Officer Devyn D. Swanier was booked with aggravated assault in the early morning hours Saturday, according to […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
Lens probe prompts City Hall to take a closer look at low-ball boathouse leases
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Mayor Mitch Landrieu has promised to revisit Municipal Yacht Harbor boathouse leases to ensure that taxpayers are getting a fair deal. The administration’s announcement comes a day after an investigation by The Lens and FOX8 News revealed that the leases are going for just $200 a month, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
City brings in only a portion of what the market demands for sought-after lakefront boathouses
How much would you pay to lease a prime lakefront boathouse at the city’s yacht harbor? How about $200 a month?
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Changes in NOPD's arrest policies save city nearly $2 million in jail fees so far this year
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | The city has saved $1.9 million so far this year in payments to Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman thanks to policy changes that have led to housing 300 fewer prisoners a day. But City Council Budget Committee Chairman Arnie Fielkow said the city’s financial relationship with Gusman […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Inmate's lawyer: Sheriff emptied women's jail after complaint to feds about conditions
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman moved his women prisoners from their separate facility at Orleans Parish Prison into a temporary tent next door after a complaint about conditions, the attorney who filed the complaint said Tuesday. Attorney Billy Sothern wrote to the U.S. Marshals Office on Feb. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Criminal Court judges' attendance, time on bench vary widely, according to DA stats
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Some of the city’s Criminal District Court judges are spending a lot more time on the bench than others, records compiled by the District Attorney’s Office show. At opposite ends of the scale for the 12 judges, Judge Robin Pittman spent 1,175 hours on the bench last […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
D.A. Cannizzaro fires back by releasing Judge White's attendance record
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has retaliated against a critic by releasing numbers that he says show Judge Laurie White to have the poorest attendance record of the Criminal District Court’s 12 judges. White last week accused Cannizzaro of regularly orchestrating “pick and pleas” in his courtroom when […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
Some judges who were challenged by DA say he gamed the system when he was on bench
Cannizzaro’s impressive stats as a judge were sometimes inflated, say two current judges, as well as an attorney assigned to Cannizzaro’s courtroom. If true, his actions would raise ethical concerns.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Join us in examining sheriff's budget
Sheriff Marlin Gusman has provided the most detailed disclosure yet about the department’s revenues and expenditures.
