With the New Orleans Police Department set to emerge Wednesday from a dozen years of federal court oversight , Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said this week that she isn’t plotting any major policy shifts once the reins come off.

“We will constitutionally police, and the more we constitutionally police, the harder you can fight crimes,” Kirkpatrick said. “Stay within the boundaries of the law, stay ethical, and fight your little heart out. That's my message, too. You can go out there and police your little heart out. And that's what I want you to do.”

In a lengthy interview Monday afternoon, Kirkpatrick and lead consent decree monitor Jonathan Aronie sought to tout the NOPD’s gains and ease public concerns as U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan prepares to grant a motion by the city and

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