Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office

A New Orleans resident has filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, alleging that a group of deputies “unnecessarily and unlawfully” approached, detained and beat him up outside of a gas station in Terrytown last year.

Personnel with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office fell for an online scheme that cost the agency more than $1.1 million, according to an internal audit made public Monday.

Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, to justify their use of excessive force and shield themselves from liability. In Jefferson Parish, 73% of the time someone is arrested on a “cover charge” alone, they’re Black.

Julio Alvarado, a Jefferson Parish deputy who was seen on video violently dragging a woman by the hair, has been named in nine federal civil rights lawsuits, all involving the use of excessive force. This is the most of any deputy currently employed.

For years, Black residents of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, have voiced complaints about abuses and a lack of accountability in its Sheriff’s Office. Unlike in neighboring New Orleans, no one has stepped in to help.