NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A former Maryland corrections official has been tapped to run the violence-plagued New Orleans jail.
Gary Maynard will fill the role of compliance director. Sheriff Marlin Gusman announced the choice Thursday. It was subject to approval by a federal judge overseeing Gusman's compliance with a 2012 reform agreement.
That agreement settled a lawsuit by inmates and the U.S. Justice Department.
But Gusman's slow progress drew harsh criticism from the plaintiffs and from officials with the city, which funds the jail.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration had joined the plaintiffs pushing for the court to take control of the jail away from Gusman. In a compromise in June, Gusman agreed to appoint a compliance director with broad authority over staffing, management and the jail budget.
