A lot of criticism has been hurled toward New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell in the last few days since her press conference announcing an almost holistic approach to bettering the New Orleans Police Department and improving recruitment efforts. But there is one high ranking civic leader who has eschewed criticism of the Mayor and embraced her ideas of making the NOPD better one officer at a time. Rafael Goyeneche, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, says it's worth giving the Mayor a shot at improving the department by trying to make the job of an officer just a little bit easier.
"Officers that remain on the police force are disenchanted with a number of different things," Goyeneche says. "And I think it is prudent on her part to listen to her officers what they want, what they need to be successful and give it to them."
Based on what the Mayor had to say last week, officers are looking for a relaxed grooming standard to allow officers to wear beards or nail polish.
Goyeneche also goes along with the Mayor with the concept that the best way to entice recruits to the department is through officers who enjoy working for the force.
But the Mayor is not completely dependent on the holistic approach, according to Goyeneche:
"So part of the problem has been a very effective recruiting strategy. And I think what she has done is she's put a couple of hundred thousand dollars into the recruitment pipeline that will allow the Police Justice Foundation to hopefully bring in qualified recruits."
One of the major problems pointed out by exiting officers is the Public Integrity Bureau. Numerous departing officers say the PIB is a problem-plagued organization in the Police Department. But Goyeneche takes a look at the bigger picture:
"You have fewer officers who are answering more calls for service, so that means that the officers who are there are working harder and under more stress. They may make a mistake. They're going to encounter more people, which means that the more people you encounter, the greater potential for complaints," Goyeneche says. "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Goyeneche is not dismissive of the complaints lodged against the PIB but he's looking at all sides of the issue.
"Is the Public Integrity [Bureau] doing something inappropriate? Or is the workload too demanding? Too overwhelming to the remaining officers that are there? And I think that what we'll see is if we have more officers, officers can spend more time with people."
Other reforms Goyeneche talked about is the department partnering with a nationwide testing service. This is so people who are interested in joining NOPD don't have to come to town on their own dime to take the civil service exam; they can take the exam at a nearby location and see if they are NOPD material. Part of the two hundred thousand dollars will be allotted to advertising for new recruits across the country in trade publications so potential recruits can learn that NOPD needs officers.
Because it's all about the type of people that make good recruits.