A five-part, in-depth series looks into the lack of accountability in the Baton Rouge Police Internal Affairs Division. Verite is partnering with investigative reporters Clarissa Sosin and Daryl Khan to examine what changes are being made and what still needs to be done to reform one of the state’s largest law enforcement agencies.
The multi-part series focuses on the changes being pushed by new Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul, including overhauling Internal Affairs, implementing strict audits, providing more scrutiny to use-of-force reports, and instituting professional standards.
Change has not come easily. Paul has been the target of a number of threats, conspiracies (including one to set him up for an arrest), his sons have been targeted, he has had to endure fights in the Metro Council to secure money to pay for his lawyers, and endured long, drawn-out civil service board meetings in order to administer routine discipline against his officers.
The series also examines how veteran officers and old-guard leadership within the BRPD has resisted the changes, especially Paul’s efforts to root out the racism that has plagued the BRPD since well before the high-profile killing of Alton Sterling.
The investigation relies on a review of thousands of official documents and dozens of interviews to truly understand the challenges that confront the Baton Rouge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies across the state and the nation.
