A State Besieged by Coronavirus Asks Police to Slow Arrests

As coronavirus cases multiplied across the U.S. this month, states including New Jersey, Michigan, and Colorado were releasing some nonviolent offenders from jails, hoping to avoid a catastrophic health crisis in already overcrowded facilities. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, New Orleans police were still out in the streets making arrests for minor crimes — even as the state had the fastest rising rate of new Covid-19 infections.

Yesterday, the Louisiana Supreme Court asked New Orleans and all cities in the state to slow down arrests, in an effort to mitigate the virus’s spread. Louisiana Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson sent a letter to judges across the state beseeching them to work with prosecutors, public defenders and sheriffs to “conduct a comprehensive and heightened risk-based assessment of all detainees,” and to begin releasing people who’ve been deemed low risk.