Law & Disorder
August 25, 2010
56m
An on-air and online investigation into questionable police shootings by the New Orleans Police Department in the wake of Katrina.
Law & Disorder
August 25, 2010
56m
Share
Behind the enduring images of heroic rescues undertaken by the New Orleans Police Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there is another story of law enforcement in crisis, even out of control. Law & Disorder, a year-long, ongoing collaboration among FRONTLINE, ProPublica and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, investigates charges that NOPD officers inappropriately used lethal force against New Orleans citizens and then tried to cover up their actions. [Explore more stories on the original website for Law & Disorder.]
Support provided by:
Learn More
Most Watched
The FRONTLINE Newsletter
Related Stories
Remembering Katrina: Three Documentaries to Watch
Explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, the flawed government response, and the lingering aftermath.
Five Officers Plead Guilty in Post-Katrina Shootings
Had prosecutors not engaged in misconduct, the officers' sentences would have been four to five times longer.
Another Setback for Prosecutors in Post-Katrina Police Shootings
This week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of shooting six unarmed civilians in the days following the storm.
Former NOPD Officer Acquitted in Post-Katrina Police Shooting
It's the latest in a series of setbacks for federal prosecutors in New Orleans.
NOPD Convictions Overturned in Notorious Post-Katrina Shooting
In a 129-page ruling outlining "grotesque" prosecutorial misconduct, a judge overturned the convictions of 5 officers for shooting civilians on New Orleans' Danziger Bridge.
NOPD Conviction Overturned in Post-Katrina Shooting
A federal appeals court said David Warren, who shot Henry Glover, deserves a new trial.
Major Reforms Announced for Troubled New Orleans Police Department
The Justice Department and the city of New Orleans today jointly announced sweeping reforms to the New Orleans Police Department, the result of a long-awaited consent decree stemming from investigations into police misconduct in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Ex-NOPD Cops Appeal Glover Case Convictions
Watch Law and Disorder, FRONTLINE’s investigation into questionable police shootings by the New Orleans Police Department in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Two former New Orleans police officers have appealed their convictions in the fatal shooting of Henry Glover in the wake of Katrina, and the cover-up of his murder, according to the Associated Press. […]
Where Police Misconduct is Still A Problem
Rodney King, who was found dead this weekend in a swimming pool at his house, once said that he believed his beating by Los Angeles police officers back in 1991 had “made the world a better place,” by bringing attention to the problem of police abuse. Following the King incident and other scandals, LAPD entered a consent decree […]
NOPD Investigating Officer Who Didn’t Report Knowledge of Henry Glover Shooting
Sgt. Lesia Mims told the FBI what she knew about Henry Glover's death but apparently not her own department.
NOPD Officer Sentenced in Post-Katrina Shooting
Today a judge sentenced former New Orleans police officer Ronald Mitchell to 20 months in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice related to the shooting of Danny Brumfield, who was killed outside the convention center where many evacuees gathered in the days after Hurricane Katrina.
One NOPD Officer Guilty, One Acquitted in Post-Katrina Shooting
Today a jury convicted Officer Ronald Mitchell of perjury and obstruction of justice in the shooting of Danny Brumfield outside the convention center where many evacuees gathered in the days after Hurricane Katrina. A second officer, Ray Jones, was acquitted of similar charges. Mitchell fired the shot that killed Brumfield, but he was not charged […]
Trial Begins for NOPD Officers Involved in Post-Katrina Shooting
How does a man waving down a police car die from a shotgun blast to the back? This is one of the questions we asked back in December 2009, when we launched Law & Disorder, our joint investigation with ProPublica and the Times-Picayune into six cases of questionable police shootings in the days following Hurricane […]
Last Cooperating NOPD Officer Sentenced in Danziger Bridge Case
Yesterday, former NOPD Officer Robert Barrios was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in covering up the police shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two and injured four unarmed civilians in the days after Hurricane Katrina. He was the last of the five officers who cooperated with the prosecution to be […]
Four-Year Prison Term for Officer in Danziger Bridge Case
Former NOPD Lt. Michael Lohman, who admitted helping to orchestrate the cover-up of the Danziger Bridge shootings, was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday. The sentence was one year less than the maximum sentence, but two years longer than prosecutors had recommended. Six civilians were shot by police officers in the notorious post-Katrina incident. […]
Judge Overturns Part of Danziger Bridge Verdict
While upholding the majority of the verdict, a federal judge yesterday threw out three counts against the five New Orleans police officers convicted in the Danziger Bridge case. Six civilians were shot by police on the bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina; two of them died and four were severely wounded. Judge Kurt Engelhardt, […]
What Will A Reformed NOPD Look Like?
This weekend, the New Orleans Times-Picayune examined what’s at stake for local and federal officials hammering out the consent decree that will reform the long-troubled police department: It’s a fix imposed on only the most dysfunctional police departments, where rogue cops flourish in part because the systems in place for officers to police themselves are […]
Tough Sentences for Danziger Bridge Officers Turned Witnesses
Federal prosecutors yesterday asked for leniency in sentencing two former New Orleans police officers who pleaded guilty to participating in the cover-up of the notorious post-Katrina Danziger Bridge shootings. Two civilians were killed and four were wounded in the incident. Both officers — Michael Hunter and Ignatius Hills — testified on behalf of the prosecution […]
FBI Agents To Monitor New Orleans Police
Two FBI agents will be stationed full time in the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau, the department and the FBI jointly announced this week. The agents, whose presence was requested by the NOPD, will investigate allegations of significant corruption or civil rights violations in the department. “I can’t tell you how important this is,” said U.S. […]
Two NOPD Officers Convicted in Beating Death
Today a New Orleans jury convicted two police officers in the July 2005 beating death of 48-year-old handyman Raymond Robair. Officer Melvin Williams was convicted of kicking and beating Robair to death with a baton, violating his civil rights and obstructing justice; he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Officer Matthew Dean Moore […]
The Henry Glover Killing & the New Orleans Police Department’s Efforts to End Federal Oversight
As the documentary “Law & Disorder” becomes newly available on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, we examine recent developments surrounding Henry Glover’s case and the federal oversight of the NOPD.
A.C. Thompson on Antisemitism and Right-Wing Extremism
Longtime FRONTLINE correspondent and ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson discusses antisemitism, the challenges facing journalists who cover right-wing extremism, and the evolution of his work with FRONTLINE.
Related Stories
Remembering Katrina: Three Documentaries to Watch
Explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, the flawed government response, and the lingering aftermath.
Five Officers Plead Guilty in Post-Katrina Shootings
Had prosecutors not engaged in misconduct, the officers' sentences would have been four to five times longer.
Another Setback for Prosecutors in Post-Katrina Police Shootings
This week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of shooting six unarmed civilians in the days following the storm.
Former NOPD Officer Acquitted in Post-Katrina Police Shooting
It's the latest in a series of setbacks for federal prosecutors in New Orleans.
NOPD Convictions Overturned in Notorious Post-Katrina Shooting
In a 129-page ruling outlining "grotesque" prosecutorial misconduct, a judge overturned the convictions of 5 officers for shooting civilians on New Orleans' Danziger Bridge.
NOPD Conviction Overturned in Post-Katrina Shooting
A federal appeals court said David Warren, who shot Henry Glover, deserves a new trial.
Major Reforms Announced for Troubled New Orleans Police Department
The Justice Department and the city of New Orleans today jointly announced sweeping reforms to the New Orleans Police Department, the result of a long-awaited consent decree stemming from investigations into police misconduct in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Ex-NOPD Cops Appeal Glover Case Convictions
Watch Law and Disorder, FRONTLINE’s investigation into questionable police shootings by the New Orleans Police Department in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Two former New Orleans police officers have appealed their convictions in the fatal shooting of Henry Glover in the wake of Katrina, and the cover-up of his murder, according to the Associated Press. […]
Where Police Misconduct is Still A Problem
Rodney King, who was found dead this weekend in a swimming pool at his house, once said that he believed his beating by Los Angeles police officers back in 1991 had “made the world a better place,” by bringing attention to the problem of police abuse. Following the King incident and other scandals, LAPD entered a consent decree […]
NOPD Investigating Officer Who Didn’t Report Knowledge of Henry Glover Shooting
Sgt. Lesia Mims told the FBI what she knew about Henry Glover's death but apparently not her own department.
NOPD Officer Sentenced in Post-Katrina Shooting
Today a judge sentenced former New Orleans police officer Ronald Mitchell to 20 months in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice related to the shooting of Danny Brumfield, who was killed outside the convention center where many evacuees gathered in the days after Hurricane Katrina.
One NOPD Officer Guilty, One Acquitted in Post-Katrina Shooting
Today a jury convicted Officer Ronald Mitchell of perjury and obstruction of justice in the shooting of Danny Brumfield outside the convention center where many evacuees gathered in the days after Hurricane Katrina. A second officer, Ray Jones, was acquitted of similar charges. Mitchell fired the shot that killed Brumfield, but he was not charged […]
Trial Begins for NOPD Officers Involved in Post-Katrina Shooting
How does a man waving down a police car die from a shotgun blast to the back? This is one of the questions we asked back in December 2009, when we launched Law & Disorder, our joint investigation with ProPublica and the Times-Picayune into six cases of questionable police shootings in the days following Hurricane […]
Last Cooperating NOPD Officer Sentenced in Danziger Bridge Case
Yesterday, former NOPD Officer Robert Barrios was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in covering up the police shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two and injured four unarmed civilians in the days after Hurricane Katrina. He was the last of the five officers who cooperated with the prosecution to be […]
Four-Year Prison Term for Officer in Danziger Bridge Case
Former NOPD Lt. Michael Lohman, who admitted helping to orchestrate the cover-up of the Danziger Bridge shootings, was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday. The sentence was one year less than the maximum sentence, but two years longer than prosecutors had recommended. Six civilians were shot by police officers in the notorious post-Katrina incident. […]
Judge Overturns Part of Danziger Bridge Verdict
While upholding the majority of the verdict, a federal judge yesterday threw out three counts against the five New Orleans police officers convicted in the Danziger Bridge case. Six civilians were shot by police on the bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina; two of them died and four were severely wounded. Judge Kurt Engelhardt, […]
What Will A Reformed NOPD Look Like?
This weekend, the New Orleans Times-Picayune examined what’s at stake for local and federal officials hammering out the consent decree that will reform the long-troubled police department: It’s a fix imposed on only the most dysfunctional police departments, where rogue cops flourish in part because the systems in place for officers to police themselves are […]
Tough Sentences for Danziger Bridge Officers Turned Witnesses
Federal prosecutors yesterday asked for leniency in sentencing two former New Orleans police officers who pleaded guilty to participating in the cover-up of the notorious post-Katrina Danziger Bridge shootings. Two civilians were killed and four were wounded in the incident. Both officers — Michael Hunter and Ignatius Hills — testified on behalf of the prosecution […]
FBI Agents To Monitor New Orleans Police
Two FBI agents will be stationed full time in the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau, the department and the FBI jointly announced this week. The agents, whose presence was requested by the NOPD, will investigate allegations of significant corruption or civil rights violations in the department. “I can’t tell you how important this is,” said U.S. […]
Two NOPD Officers Convicted in Beating Death
Today a New Orleans jury convicted two police officers in the July 2005 beating death of 48-year-old handyman Raymond Robair. Officer Melvin Williams was convicted of kicking and beating Robair to death with a baton, violating his civil rights and obstructing justice; he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Officer Matthew Dean Moore […]
The Henry Glover Killing & the New Orleans Police Department’s Efforts to End Federal Oversight
As the documentary “Law & Disorder” becomes newly available on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, we examine recent developments surrounding Henry Glover’s case and the federal oversight of the NOPD.
A.C. Thompson on Antisemitism and Right-Wing Extremism
Longtime FRONTLINE correspondent and ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson discusses antisemitism, the challenges facing journalists who cover right-wing extremism, and the evolution of his work with FRONTLINE.
Policies
Teacher Center
Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation
Koo and Patricia Yuen
FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; Park Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
