New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell and NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson addressed the public about the continuing surge in violent crimes to start 2022, and their plans for dealing with the problem.
This comes as the new New Orleans City Council demanded to know what specific steps the administration is planning on taking to combat crime. Ferguson spelled out a few specifics he plans on implementing, including creating dedicated proactive policing units in every district, upping collaboration with the feds on violent crime abatement, and potentially implementing 12-hour patrol shifts for officers.
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“That will increase, in my opinion, visibility in the community, it will also reduce time, call for service time, or our call times,” said Ferguson. “To you who wish to continue to prey on our citizens, prey on our visitors in the city of New Orleans, with these additional resources all I can say is that we will see you soon.”
Cantrell spoke about the public outcry over rising violent crime. She emphasized the need for more surveillance tools and assets in the city, and says she plans on pushing the City Council to reinstate past surveillance practices that had been taken off the table.
“We hear our community loud and clear,” said Cantrell. “We understand that the terrorism that has been happening on our streets and to our people is absolutely unacceptable.”