New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson says recruiting is making progress, and a long-awaited change to NOPD hiring is in the works.
Chief Ferguson said before the end of the year, they will begin accepting lateral transfers, meaning police officers who come from other departments can join NOPD but keep the rank they earned at their old departments -- after a shortened version of attending the NOPD academy.
"We finally were able to finalize our curriculum which will be a 10-week program," Ferguson told the New Orleans City Council this week. "Lateral hiring is nearly a reality."
Graduating recruits from the police academy and setting them out on the street as patrol officers is progress, but they are still rookie cops. Ferguson hopes lateral transfers will not only bring in more officers to join NOPD, but officers with experience.
"And we hope to have a lateral class to begin by the end of this year," said Ferguson.