A group representing rank-and-file New Orleans police officers says a scandal spawned by a federal prosecutor's anonymous posts on a newspaper's website has poisoned a sweeping agreement to clean up the city's troubled police department.
A court filing Friday by the Police Association of New Orleans urges U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to permit the group to intervene in the court-supervised consent decree between the Justice Department and the city.
PANO argues that the actions of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sal Perricone, who helped negotiate the agreement, prove the federal government can't adequately represent the police officers' interests in implementing the reforms.
Perricone resigned in March after acknowledging he criticized judges and politicians and commented on cases, including the consent decree, in anonymous posts on The Times-Picayune's website.