As the New Orleans Police Department continues its internal investigation into the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on the Crescent City Connection last week, the New Orleans Office of the Independent Police Monitor is also looking into it.
Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson says for all of NOPD's crowd control experience, quelling a riot is not something they are called on to do often.
"We need to look at supervision that night," said Hutson. "That is a huge part. It's not just the rank-and-file on the street, because they've been asked to do all the work, but what are they told to do, and what have they been directed to do?"
She says the city needs to look at alternatives to tear gas and so-called "stinger rounds" to see what else might work to calm an unruly crowd.
"Yes, we should demand at looking at alternatives to tear gas and rubber balls and other sorts of military-type weapons," said Hutson.
Hutson says there needs to be clear policies for the cops when they're confronted with a non-compliant crowd.
"There has to be some type of threat to public safety," she said. "It has to be a major threat. There has to be clear and concise direction to disperse, and an avenue to disperse, and time to disperse."
Hutson said 2,000 people cannot disperse at the snap of a finger.