The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) is voluntarily tying themselves to the Obama administration in an effort to remedy alleged police brutality.

The Initiative: The NOPD is just one of twelve other police departments throughout the country that is voluntarily complying with a federal program created by the Obama administration to track improper behavior between police officers and citizens. The program is one of many by the Obama administration to combat what they deem to be a widespread problem of police brutality facing police departments.

The Process: According to the program, the NOPD will “share data” with scientists on questionable police officer/citizen encounters. The data shared with the scientists is supposed to catch early stages of excessive use and police brutality with specific police officers in the force. From there, the police department is supposed to intervene and remedy the improper police behavior before it gets out of hand.

The Reason: The program is just one of many police initiatives the Obama administration has called for in recent months. All of this comes at a time when police brutality has been at the forefront of media coverage, with scenarios like the Michael Brown shooting, the Eric Garner case and the Baltimore Riots being put in the public spotlight for months on end. Though conservatives have pointed out that the murder rates among black Americans in urban cities is hardly ever scrutinized by the Obama administration or the press, the Left has continued to portray police brutality, not just as isolated incidents, but something that is a regular practice for police officers.

The Problem: Though the program is well-intentioned, the NOPD will now voluntarily be tied to the Obama administration and possible federal mandates through the program. Also questionable is the productivity and enforcement of the program. The program seems biased against police officers and the data set to be shared has the potential to be skewed to either make particular police officers look bad or cover-up police officers who are engaged in excessive force.