Prisoner Releases In New Orleans

Could this really be true?

Better cooperation and communication between the Orleans Parish district attorney's office and city police significantly reduced the number of defendants automatically released from jail because prosecutors had failed to decide whether to charge them, city officials said Thursday.

Six suspects left jail on so-called "701 releases" in December, compared with a high of 580 in January 2007, acting District Attorney Keva Landrum-Johnson said.

Former District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who resigned in October, took biting criticism because of the 701 releases, named for a section of the criminal code. State law requires prosecutors to charge or refuse cases within 60 days of a felony arrest, or release the person.

Come on people; can't you recognize smoke and mirrors?