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Associated Press - February 26, 2010 1:04 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu saw violent crime as such a drag on the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina that he made law enforcement a cornerstone of his campaign to replace term-limited Mayor Ray Nagin.
Now, as Landrieu faces 1 of his most pressing tasks, choosing a police chief, he must deal with a blossoming police scandal. On Wednesday, a recently retired police lieutenant pleaded guilty to helping cover up the post-Katrina police killings of 2 unarmed people and the wounding of 4 others at the Danziger Bridge.
Rafael Goyeneche, head of an independent police watchdog group, said the scandal makes it all but certain the task force Landrieu assembled to search for a new chief will seek someone from outside the department.
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