In a startling revelation during a federal civil rights trial, Stella Cziment, New Orleans' independent police monitor, testified that the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) had planned to arrest an officer hours before he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in September 2020. This case has brought to light significant issues within the NOPD, a department established in 1796 and serving a city of approximately 380,000 residents as of 2024.
The trial centers around a lawsuit filed by the victim, identified as Nicole, against the city in 2021. The suit alleges that the NOPD failed to properly supervise and vet Officer Rodney Vicknair before his hiring in 2007. Vicknair, who passed away in January 2024, had pleaded guilty to violating Nicole's civil rights and was serving a 14-year prison sentence at the time of his death.
Susan Hutson, the former police monitor and current Orleans Parish Sheriff, testified that she had alerted then-NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson about the potential sexual abuse of a minor by an officer five days before the assault. This communication, which the city did not disclose during discovery, was uncovered by a Washington Post investigation.
"We definitely wanted someone to be on the case, right away."
The city's defense portrays Vicknair as a "rogue officer" acting on his own, arguing that the department could not have predicted his actions. However, the independent police monitor's office expressed concerns about obvious red flags in Vicknair's behavior, including inappropriate contact with the minor victim.
This case has brought attention to NOPD's policies and procedures. In 2020, the department lacked a policy requiring supervisors to look for suspicious patterns in officers' movements. Additionally, a 2019 cyberattack on the city had compromised the GPS tracking system in police cruisers, limiting supervisors' ability to monitor officers' locations over time.
Nicole, now 19, provided emotional testimony about the impact of the assault on her life, expressing ongoing fear and distrust of authority figures. Her case highlights the broader issue of police misconduct in New Orleans, with Vicknair being the sixth NOPD officer convicted of crimes involving child sexual abuse since 2011.
The trial has also raised questions about NOPD's hiring practices. Vicknair's background included seven arrests before his employment, including a 1987 conviction for battery on a juvenile. Current NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick testified that she would not have hired someone with Vicknair's background, though she acknowledged that not all police chiefs might agree.
This case unfolds against the backdrop of New Orleans' unique legal system, based on French and Spanish civil law, and the city's ongoing efforts to reform its police department. From 2012 to 2022, NOPD was under a federal consent decree for police reform, reflecting the challenges the department has faced in maintaining public trust and effective law enforcement in a city known for its rich cultural heritage and tourism industry.
As the trial continues, it serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of thorough vetting and supervision within law enforcement agencies, particularly in a city with New Orleans' complex history and diverse community needs.