A new police accountability database is in the works for New Orleans designed to make disciplinary records more accessible to the public. Supporters say it will build community trust and help restore faith in law enforcement. But some in the law enforcement community fear it could unfairly harm officers and worsen morale.
Not Just an OIPM Project
While often referred to as the “OIPM dashboard,” the Independent Police Monitor’s Office says the project is a joint city initiative.
“This isn’t an Office of the Independent Police Monitor dashboard,” OIPM Independent Monitor Stella Cziment said in an email to WDSU. “This is a joint city effort that was spearheaded by the City Council in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd… The OIPM now manages the project, but NOPD leadership was on the RFP selection committee and provides the data.”
The dashboard is funded with $100,000 from the city’s Capital Projects budget, per City Council Resolution R-20-175. It is expected to launch publicly in 2025.
What Will Be Included
According to the OIPM’s internal presentation, the database will include:
- Sustained and not sustained disciplinary outcomes
- Use of force determinations
- Officer commendations and awards
- Basic officer info: name, badge number, rank, district, and assignment
Cziment clarified that allegations marked “unfounded” or “exonerated” will not be included.
“This is not ‘complaint’ information,” she said. “Some investigations will stem from public complaints, but others originate from fellow officers or supervisors.”
She added that how terms like “sustained” and “not sustained” are explained to the public is still being finalized, with input expected from criminal justice advocates and police associations before launch.
Discipline vs. Damage
The dashboard is meant to counter public misperceptions that police misconduct often goes unpunished.
“The primary purpose of the database is to inform the public of the very real accountability that is happening every day in the New Orleans Police Department,” Cziment said. “This will ensure the community understands who is policing them… and that their department is committed to ethical and constitutional policing.”
But some law enforcement advocates, including the Police and Justice Foundation, say the database may cause lasting harm even when officers are ultimately cleared.
“It Will Follow You Forever” — A Deep Dive into Concerns from the Police and Justice Foundation
Melanie Talia, a former prosecutor and the CEO of the Police and Justice Foundation, says the intent behind the dashboard may be valid — but the execution could damage officers unfairly, especially when complaints are not sustained or proven false.
She offered several key concerns in a sit-down interview with WDSU:
“Even if that complaint is just not true, those things are gone, that time has passed, and now the officer has that complaint in the file… Those complaints never, ever go away.”
Talia made it clear she is not opposed to discipline—as long as it’s deserved and documented accurately:
“Absolutely,” said Talia. If someone has done something wrong, they need to be held accountable. And that’s true for everybody. And that includes without a doubt that includes law enforcement officers.”
But she cautioned that allegations—especially false ones—can still do lasting harm when placed in public view:
“It’s a huge impact on a police officer’s life,” said Talia. “Not just on the job, but also personally. They’re sometimes reassigned, they may not be able to work details… once those things are taken away, they’re not just restored when the officer is cleared of a complaint.”
Talia recalled a specific example:
“Well, now it’s out there forever. It’s out there publicly and it’s out there in the officers, what we refer to as the officer’s jacket,” said Talia. “So if that Captain decides to retire from the New Orleans Police Department and perhaps apply for a job somewhere as the chief of police — that’s in his jacket. That’s always going to be known wherever he goes.”
And her concern extends beyond personnel files:
“We’re not saying don’t file complaints,” said Talia. “We’re saying verify them. Vet them. You can destroy someone’s career with a single click.”
She emphasized that her organization supports real accountability — but wants to make sure the tool doesn’t blur the line between allegation and action.
“At the end of the day, when something happens, you still want to call 911 and you want a police officer to come to your aid quickly,” said Talia.”
Talia points to other cities where public-facing police data tools may have had unintended effects. The NYPD, for instance, launched its own misconduct transparency dashboard in 2021 through the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
That same year, the department lost nearly 2,700 officers to retirement or resignation, according to multiple public reports.
By 2025, the exodus accelerated. In just the first half of the year, over 1,555 NYPD officers retired, a 48% increase compared to the same time the year before, a trend police unions blamed in part on “overexposure” and public pressure tied to transparency platforms.
Talia believes New Orleans could see similar challenges.
“I do think that there are a number of officers in the department who will really think twice about whether they want to stay in New Orleans,” said Talia. When departments around the country are hiring, many of whom do not have public-facing dashboards. It could certainly impact the bottom line of how many commissioned officers we have to respond to calls every day.”
OIPM says only finalized public records from NOPD disciplinary letters will be posted. If a decision is reversed on appeal—through Civil Service, the 4th Circuit, or the Louisiana Supreme Court—it will be removed or corrected. But Cziment acknowledged that such reversals are not automatically tracked and will require manual updates.
Can Officers Challenge the Data?
At present, there is no formal process for officers to review or appeal their entries before public release, Cziment confirmed.
“That is a question for the officers to pose to the police department,” she said. “One idea is a disclaimer on the final disciplinary letter giving the officer a period of time to raise concerns or request corrections.”
She added that cases reversed on appeal through the Civil Service Commission or the courts will be manually removed from the dashboard.
Could It Hurt Retention?
Concerns about morale and attrition are not new. Some police groups argue that dashboards like these, especially those that include non-sustained findings, can lead to early retirements or dissuade officers from staying in departments that prioritize public-facing discipline.
Cziment says that’s not the intention.
“My goal is not to have a smaller police department—it’s to have a great police department,” she said. “We want good police officers to have every opportunity to move department to department… which means the NOPD brand needs to be valuable.”
She noted that the database is meant to prevent “bad actors” from jumping jurisdictions under the radar.
What Happens Next
The Police Accountability Dashboard is still in development, with a planned public release in 2025.
According to the Office of the Independent Police Monitor, the final language, data filters, and explanatory labels are still being finalized. That includes how terms like “sustained” and “not sustained” will be defined for public understanding and whether additional disclaimers, review periods, or officer notifications will be built in.
The real test, observers say, will come after the launch when the public, officers, and policymakers see how the dashboard functions in real time. If necessary, officials say, it can be revised or restructured based on its impact.
