Crime continues to fall in New Orleans, and the city is a safer place for residents and visitors.
That was the message of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who spoke during a media briefing Tuesday morning at the United States Attorney's Office at the Hale Boggs Federal Courthouse.
United States Attorney David Courcelle, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrell, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges, and representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Department of Homeland Security, and other local, state, and federal agencies highlighted the partnership between their agencies to help drive the city's crime rate down.
"Due to the hard work of our law enforcement officers, crime in our area has decreased," Courcelle said. "This decrease has occurred in the areas of violent crime, illegal firearm and drug offenses, sex trafficking, and human trafficking."
Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office, said authorities in the New Orleans area have arrested "the worst of the worst" criminal offenders since the start of Operation NOLA Safe last month. That operation, Tapp said, began upon Governor Jeff Landry's request to the White House for extra security in the region ahead of Mardi Gras.
"In the last month, our team of state, local, and federal partners have arrested 175 people, and it's still truckin', taking more than 100 firearms off the streets, seized more than 20 kilograms of cocaine and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, and rescued four victims of human trafficking. We're getting the job done with intelligence, surveillance, and leads we're getting from the community."
Matt Wright, the acting special agent in charge of Department Homeland Security investigations in New Orleans, noted that the criminal organizations that law enforcement face today are more complicated than ever before. However, he says collaborations like the one between Louisiana and federal authorities is helping wipe out those criminal elements. He highlighted the rescue of human trafficking victims as a prime example of the effectiveness of those collaborations.
"Our commitment is demonstrated is through operations like the one we're discussing here today with Operation NOLA Safe as well as through our other efforts through our other efforts through our three-state (Homeland Security Task Force) region," Wright said. "We identified and recovered four suspected victims of human trafficking, including two minor victims, ensuring that all of those victims were offered the services and the support they deserve. Additionally, five individuals were arrested for offenses involving human trafficking, resulting in a direct disruption of this trafficking network and holding those offenders accountable."
Tapp also credited the knowledge and the expertise of law enforcement officers to help eliminate crime in the Crescent City, noting that authorities of at all levels are working to prevent crime before it happens.
"The steady decline in our crime rate is proof that our law enforcement partnerships are effective," Tapp said. "These aren't just investigations or statistics for us, because we eat, sleep, and breathe fighting violent crime. We're committed to making New Orleans one of the safest places in the country."
Wright said the public plays a critical role in helping stop crime in their own communities, including here in New Orleans and especially along Mardi Gras parade routes. He urged people to report any nefarious activity to authorities.
"I want to remind the public today that you are our extra sets of eyes and ears on our parade routes and in the surrounding areas," Wright said. "If you see something that doesn't look or feel right, report it to law enforcement. In other words: if you see something, say something."
