I want to start by congratulating NOPD Class 195 for deciding to become New Orleans Police Officers and for sticking it out through thick and thin. These 18 officers graduate today, 9/30/2022, and will join a depleted New Orleans Police Department starting on Sunday. I think you will be inspired by the message in the video above. In fact, I think all members of the New Orleans Police Department will find inspiration in the video above.

Of course, I also want to thank the members of the New Orleans Police Department who will serve as Field Training Officers for these 18 new officers. Last, but not least, I want to thank the other officers who are still serving my community and the other communities in the City of New Orleans. You are doing a fantastic job under the circumstances and I can promise that we will continue to work on your behalf.

Next, I want to thank Sgt. Michael Sam for accompanying Sgt. Walter Powers, Jr. (Ret.), President of the Crescent City Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, Sgt. Willie Jenkins, 2nd VP, and myself to the Academy yesterday. Thanks to Sgt. Jim Gallagher (Ret.) for putting the packets together before he left to go on vacation.

We are also thinking about our brothers and sisters in Florida who are coming to work every day while they too suffer the losses caused by Hurricane Ian. We have been there and we understand. Anyone who wants to make a donation to help our fellow FOP members in need in Florida can click the link below and choose the Fraternal Order of Police Foundation. NFOP DART (Disaster Area Response Team) will be deploying to effected areas of Florida on October 1, You can support their efforts by continuing today. Whether its $5.00 or $500, you can help.

Donate to the National Fraternal Order of Police

Sgt. Willie Jenkins, our 2nd Vice President and the Chair of the FOP Crescent City Lodge’s Labor Committee, had been hired by the New Orleans Police Department in 2005 and graduated from the Academy on August 12, 2005, 17 days before Hurricane Katrina made its way to New Orleans. We had officers who abandoned their posts. We had officers who were made homeless by Hurricane Katrina. There were NOPD officers who took their own lives after Hurricane Katrina. I believe the experience made Sgt. Jenkins a better, more empathetic police officer. Who knows for sure what made Sgt, Jenkins into such a good supervisor, leader, officer, committee chair, and simply a good human being. I’m sure thee are many factors that went into making Sgt. Jenkins who he is today. But, Hurricane Katrina made significant contributions to the Police Officer Sgt. Willie Jenkins is today. The results of Hurricane Ian do not have to be all bad.

To FOP Members in Florida: It doesn’t have to be all bad following the destruction caused by the hurricane. Look out for your fellow police officers. If something seems off, make a point of talking to him or her. Some of your colleagues have suffered losses that seem insurmountable to them. Let them know that these losses are not insurmountable. We will do our best to help you with that. It will probably take a long time — you in Florida already know that — but it will come back together,

To the members of NOPD Class 195 graduating today, we will be there when you need us. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to be there for others. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of those opportunities to be there for others. You will appreciate it.

The New Orleans Police Department has lost police officers at a record pace. We have not been south of 1,000 police officers for a long time. We have gotten there again. Being below 1,000 officers creates problems for police officers and the community they are trying to protect. With that in mind, Mayor Cantrell turned to the Lindner Group to work on programs designed to get the NOPD back above 1,000 and more.

It is worth pointing out that in addition to the incentive programs implemented by the administration, there are programs that are on the table to be implemented as they are feasible. Those programs include:

• Take Home Cars – Claude Schlesinger has fought relentlessly for the NOPD to give every officer a take-home car. Due to supply chain issues that are affecting auto sales across the country, it is not all that easy to get a car;
• An education incentive program or student loan payback program;
• Relocation Assistance;
• Rental Assistance; and
• Pensionable Overtime.

https://www.wwltv.com/embeds/video/responsive/289-7f06fcba-b357-48e7-822b-924a95ab9666/iframe

<a href=”http://<iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ style=”border:1px solid #e6e6e6″ src=”https://www.wwltv.com/embeds/video/responsive/289-7f06fcba-b357-48e7-822b-924a95ab9666/iframe&#8221; allowfullscreen=”true” webkitallowfullscreen=”true” mozallowfullscreen=”true”>Click here to see the press conference in its entirety.

First and foremost, none of the below programs will have any impact on the programs already in place. For example, officers will still get a lump sum payment equal to 5% of their base salary this year. Officers will also get a 5% raise in January 2023. In fact, officers will also get a 5% raise in January 2024 and another 5% raise in January 2025. In March 2023, officers will receive retention bonuses up to $20,000 based on years of service. Officers are also due to receive a $1,200 lump sum payment from the State of Louisiana State Supplemental Pay Program.

RECRUITMENT

The New Orleans Police Department has got to get to the point where they are hiring more officers than are leaving. We have been losing for years now. Some of this attrition may be due to the Consent Decree and some is due to other aspects of their employment.

The recruitment portion includes a $30,000 Recruit Incentive Package. That includes $20,000 paid to new Recruits after 1 year and then another $10,000 paid to all NOPD employees after 3 years. I think that some people may have missed that portion. The $10,000 will be paid to all commissioned employees of the New Orleans Police Department. That would include recent hires and current employees.

The Recruits will also get the pay raises mentioned above (5% – 2023, 5% 2024, and 5% 2024).

LATERAL HIRES

Lateral hires are police officers who have already been trained, are POST certified by another police department, and have been working as a police officer in another jurisdiction. Lateral hires can be put to work much faster than new recruits. While new recruits are valuable, lateral hires can get to helping our current officers faster.

New Recruits are hired and when there are enough Recruits, they attend 4-6 months of training by the Police Academy. Once that training is complete, the Recruits then have to complete Field Training. Field Training is conducted by veteran police officers and is on-the-job training. They ride in real police cars, carry real guns, and answer real calls for service. Lateral hires, however, might only have to go to the Academy for 1 or 2 months. That way they can get any legal updates they may need and they can learn what the New Orleans Police Department expects from its officers. Once they get out of the Academy, lateral hires don’t need all of the same field training. They just need to learn the differences in how NOPD handles the radio or writes a report, etc.

CURRENT OFFICERS

If the NOPD keeps losing officers at the rate they are going, we will have to schedule a fire sale and call it a day. Everyone recognizes the NOPD has to keep its current, experienced employees. This was a problem similar to the one we had in the 1990s. In the 1990s, crime was out of control and manpower was lower than it needed to be. In the 1990s, Chief Richard Pennington was appointed by Mayor Marc Morial. The NOPD looked a lot like it does now. Morial and Pennington hired John Lindner and many changes were made and it was successful (for the most part).

The big difference between now and the 1990s was that in the 1990s, the problems belonged to New Orleans. Now, however, the problems belong to many departments across the nation. The NOPD is going to have to be bolder and work harder to get out of this hole. I believe today was a good start.

Mayor Cantrell has hired John Lindner again. John Casbon of the NOPJF is in the mix again. They also brought in Fausto Pacheco, formerly chief of patrol for NYPD as COO. Someone whose job is to make an inherently dangerous job less dangerous.

The administration has changed the Public Integrity Bureau. PIB was the product of Chief Arlinda Westbrook. Now, PIB will be the product of Keith Sanchez, who was hired to replace Chief Westbrook.

Current officers will be eligible for the following benefits:

• Current officers will still get the retention bonus to be paid in March 2023.
• Current officers will get the 5% raises.
• Current officers will get a Cost of Living payment this year. (2022)
• Current officers will no longer have to pay health insurance premiums.

In addition, current employees:

• Current officers will also get $10,000 in 2025.
• They will be working on educational incentives
• Relocation Assistance
• Housing Support
• Virtual Testing
• Improved equipment to include take-home cars
• upgraded technology
• Facility upgrades and repairs

The financial incentives listed above for Recruits, Laterals, and Current employees should give the NOPD the type of advantage it needs to address the current crisis.

Click here to see CAO Gilbert Montano’s presentation.