Finally, An Exemplary Response in New Orleans

Unlike several federal bureaucracies that have let New Orleanians down since Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Justice Department has been a shining example of how an enterprising agency can help our recovery.

Under U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the department has delivered more than $61 million in grants to Louisiana, including $30 million to New Orleans. Federal agents last month began patrolling streets with New Orleans police and have arrested 24 people on federal charges. Half of those suspects already face indictments.

By contrast, New Orleans courts had to set 580 people free in January alone when police and District Attorney Eddie Jordan could not put together formal charges within the 60 days state law requires.

With the city's justice system so broken and violent crime plaguing New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, federal officials should continue to expand their involvement as much as possible.

Indeed, Mr. Gonzales was in town again this week to announce additional programs. Paramount among them was word that a lease for a new New Orleans crime lab, which the Justice Department will help finance, was finally signed Tuesday. City officials vowed to have the lab running in 60 days, and they must deliver on that promise.

Mr. Gonzales also announced a $3 million grant for operation of a one-stop center to assist victims of rape and domestic abuse and their children. Domestic violence has been rising since Katrina, and the new center, one of only 16 of its kind in the nation, will house an array of needed services, from law enforcement units and assistance with divorces or custody cases, to a medical clinic and employment counseling. City officials have to provide a building, and they need to find one faster than they did for the crime lab.