NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Police Department now has fewer officers than it did back in 1947, according to recent crime statistics.
The number hasn’t been this low since 1947, when they had 892 officers, and now, in 2023, they have 900 commissioned officers with 37 new recruits.
Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission said, “What we’ve seen is when the number of officers go down, our crime rate goes up. You don’t have to be a criminologist to realize that.”
The shortage of NOPD police officers is alarming. New Orleans hasn’t seen the number this low since 1947, and it looks like the downward trend will continue.
“The reality is we have fewer than 1947 staffing today, and by the end of the year, we could be a lot closer to 800 officers than 900 officers. We just don’t have enough officers to do all the work that’s necessary,” he said.
The Metropolitan Crime Commission just released a report, breaking down crime by police districts.
“If the police start to identify and deploy resources in some of the hot spots within each district. The 7th district in six months of this year has had 41 percent fewer homicides than the corresponding period last year. The key is over the next several years, the NOPD must be strategic in identifying the hot spots,” Goyeneche said.
The NOPD must also continue to utilize more tools.
“They didn’t have the kind of technology they have today. That’s going to be the saving grace for the department if the department is going to turn things around, while rebuilding the numbers,” he said.
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