A recent poll on New Orleans and crime showed Police Chief Ann Kirkpatrick with a 53 percent approval rating. Only one other individual in the criminal justice system polled higher than 50 percent, and it represents a turnaround.
New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams notches a 51 percent approval rating.
Pollster Ron Faucheux, who compiled the survey for the New Orleans Crime Coalition, says Williams turned a corner with public approval.
"We have seen his ratings go up considerably in the last year, year-and-a-half," Faucheux told WWL's Newell Normand.
Williams ran on a progressive platform, opposing things like charging defendants as habitual offenders, but pollster Ron Faucheux says the D.A. has changed his mind on that.
"Those are important tools for district attorneys, and I think he realized over time that was important," said Faucheux.
Williams' approval is up six points from the last Crime Coalition poll.
Williams and Chief Kirkpatrick are the only New Orleans officials in the poll to get approval ratings better than 50 percent -- compared to 31 percent for criminal court judges, 27 percent for Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and just 18 percent for Sheriff Susan Hutson.