Federal Judge Approves Police Reforms

Despite objections from the city, a federal judge has approved a sweeping agreement between the Justice Department and the city of New Orleans designed to clean up the city's troubled Police Department.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu had invited Justice Department intervention in the department soon after taking office in 2010 and had sought the agreement as a way of putting reforms into law. But throughout months of negotiations, he had expressed concerns about the potential costs.

U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan approved the agreement Friday. However, she noted that the city plans to file a motion seeking relief from the judgment. City officials did not return calls for comment.

Morgan's approval comes after the New Orleans sheriff reached a separate, potentially expensive, consent decree to improve conditions at the city-funded prison.