The New Orleans Police Department has manpower issues, with a little more than 1,100 officers on the force, according to New Orleans Mayor's Office spokesman Beau Tidwell. Traditionally, the NOPD has sought a force between 1,500 and 2,00 officers strong.
So with summer about to begin, city officials are bringing in Louisiana State Police to help out.
That's nothing new, says Ronal Serpas, Loyola criminal justice professor and former chief of the NOPD, although usually it is done for shorter-term special events.
"Often when this occurs, the state police will send troopers to work in the French QUarter and CBD area," Serpas said.
Typically, crime increases in the summer.
"You can always count on some level of an uptick in crime during the summer months," said Serpas. "It's an amazing reality that very few criminal justice professors can say why, but everybody knows it does."
And Serpas says this summer could be unpleasant
"New Orleans is now into about 18 months of obnoxious, double-digit increases in murders, non-fatal shootings and carjackings," he said, "so they've got to do something to get a hold of it."
