A federal judge has denied petitions from four groups seeking to have a say in an agreement New Orleans has reached with the Justice Department to overhaul the city's troubled police department.
The Times-Picayune reports that U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan on Friday denied requests from two police association organizations, Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson and nonprofit Community United for Change.
The agreement spells out a series of strict requirements for overhauling the department's policies and procedures for use of force, training, interrogations, searches and arrests, recruitment and supervision.
Each of the four groups had found fault with aspects of the proposal, saying they want to be part of the discussion about how it should be reworked.