NOPD and LSP talk officer deployment ahead of summer months

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — With summer just around the corner, the New Orleans Police Department is gearing up for patrol.

On Thursday afternoon, NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson and Louisiana State Trooper Dustin Dwight held a press conference announcing plans for summer deployment.

In the press conference, they announced “Operation Golden Eagle Part 2.”

It is a plan to focus on summer safety according to NOPD.

“This past February, through partnerships with the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Attorney’s Office; Louisiana State Police; and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, the NOPD formulated a strategy to enhance our VCAIT Unit,” Ferguson said. “This coordinated effort led to an increase in the number of arrests and prosecutions over the past several months. This is a trend that all parties involved seek to continue. We believe these decisions will continue to move the fight against violent crime in the right direction in New Orleans.”

NOPD wanted to continue its mission to combat crime after a successful summer in 2021.

“The City of New Orleans benefitted from the results of this operation last summer, and we intend to make sure the city benefits again,” Ferguson said.

Additionally, in Operation Golden Eagle 2, the department will implement a pilot program this summer that will have officers in the department’s eight field operations districts moving to 12-hour work shifts.

“We have heard the concerns of our citizens,” Ferguson said. “By having more officers on the streets through undertaking this shift in deployment, we hope to improve our response time, deter any furtherance of crime and create more visibility. You may also see additional traffic checkpoints. We have also heard from our officers regarding this shift and believe it will have a positive impact on morale.”

Watch the full press conference in the player below.