Michelle Woodfork is leaving the New Orleans Police Department. The first woman to lead NOPD as the interim superintendent is set to retire.
She announced today that March first will be her last day.
Woodfork has served 33 years with the NOPD.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell named Woodfork as the acting chief after Superintendent Sean Ferguson stepped down in 2022.
She held the interim position, and was a finalist during a national search for a new chief, until Cantrell selected Anne Kirkpatrick for the job in late 2023.
Many were surprised when the mayor didn't pick Woodfork for city council approval after speaking here praises throughout the process.
The search committee, however, issued a report suggesting that Woodfork needed additional training to be fully qualified.
Woodfork is 53 years old. She joined the department a few years after high school and worked her way up through the ranks.
It is with immense gratitude and pride that I announce my retirement from the New Orleans Police Department, effective March 2, 2024
As I reflect on my 33 year career as a police officer and serving as interim superintendent, this announcement is bittersweet, prayerful , yet hopeful regarding the future of the success of the New Orleans Police Department. Confidently, I retire knowing the department continues to remain successful utilizing a strategic plan implemented during my tenure as interim Superintendent.
Under my leadership, the New Orleans Police Department achieved a 25% reduction in violent crime through strategic deployments and continued collaborations with our law enforcement, criminal justice and community partners, streamlined hiring processes to hire 104 new police recruits and 107 professional civilian employees, a notable decrease in attrition, initiated new community engagement initiatives, implemented new technology and significant progress towards full consent decree compliance. The organizational blueprint created under my administration will continue to steer the NOPD toward sustainable reform, best policing practices, accountability, transparency, departmental efficiency, sustained law enforcement collaborations and stronger community partnerships.
I want to thank the great men and women of the New Orleans Police Department for their commitment to protecting and serving the citizens and visitors of this great city. It is with the hard work and dedication of these public servants, New Orleans is a safer city. I am forever grateful to have had the privilege of serving along with them. I am incredibly thankful for all the encouragement and support from the amazing citizens of New Orleans. It has been my pleasure and honor to serve each of you.
I am appreciative and humbled by law enforcement colleagues and community partners who have approached me with exciting opportunities to continue to serve New Orleans. In the immediate, I am looking forward to piloting my son through high school and on to college and spending quality time with my beloved parents.
