Are we becoming numb to the pervasive violence in our beloved New Orleans? Recent news of a few fewer homicide or shooting victims does not mean we have a safe city — and resigned acceptance of small shifts could result in more violence if we allow complacency to take hold.
We are still in a crisis. We must act.
The Metropolitan Crime Commission reports 86 homicides and 141 nonfatal shootings year-to-date, compared with 91 homicides and 150 nonfatal shootings during the same timeframe in 2022 (a year with the most homicides since 1994). The same period in 2019 saw 38 homicides and 63 nonfatal shootings. That’s a 126% surge in violent deaths and a 124% increase in people wounded from gunshots since then. Moreover, multiple sources report that we rank second highest in the nation in homicide per capita for the first quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, the district attorney’s office has a 7% violent felony guilty-as-charged conviction rate for Jan. 1-April 15. In the same period in 2019, the rate was 31%.
Effective prosecution of violent criminals is paramount, as is police presence. The New Orleans Police Department ranks have shrunk by 300-plus officers since 2019, down from 1,226 to 918. Felony arrests also have dropped, from 1,621 in 2019 (through April 15) to 937 in the same period this year.
Community demands, spearheaded by the NOLA Coalition, have spurred positive steps by the City Council and the mayor: allowing NOPD broad use of technology tools, raising pay for officers, providing more recruiting funds and giving the district attorney the go-ahead to launch a “specialized unit of prosecutors.”
What’s lacking is effective implementation. NOPD ended 2022 with its worst recruiting result in recent history. An unacceptably low 26 recruits joined the force last year, compared to 104 in 2019. While early signs in 2023 point to improvement, we’ll need to maintain the current pace (38 hires thus far) just to keep up with attrition.
With pay no longer a deficiency, NOPD must focus on improved hiring and retention. This means implementing the most effective recruiting process based on national best practices, meeting an aggressive recruiting target, fixing process failures and holding recruiters fully accountable. We need more cops, and our brave officers now on the job deserve additional support.
Interestingly, despite a smaller NOPD force, proactive policing has spurred a 68% increase in felony weapons arrests since 2022. To successfully prosecute violent felony cases, the council-approved “specialized unit of prosecutors” needs to launch immediately. This is essential because the DA’s prosecutorial staff has declined approximately 22% since 2020. And as many experienced prosecutors have left for various reasons, 36% of assistant DAs have been on the job less than a year.
In a related area of concern, Emily Maw, chief of the DA’s civil rights division, recently handled 19 first-appearance cases in Magistrate Court; 15 were gun-related. Maw refused charges on all 19. Instead, she made deals with Keaton Manghane and 14 others to exchange weapons for freedom. The interchange between Maw and Manghane, who was returning to Tennessee, is chilling. “As long as you’re OK going back without the machine gun, then we’ll refuse the charges,” said Maw. Manghane responded, “Yes, ma’am. I appreciate you.”
A federal grand jury subsequently indicted Manghane for possession of a machine gun. Maw continues in her role.
In addition to improving recruitment and retention, institutionalizing proactive policing and effectively prosecuting criminals, employing technology is key. Electronic monitoring currently tracks about 250 adults on pretrial release. The program has scored recent successes and can be used as a tool to prevent recidivism, identify offenders who commit new felonies and allow judges to assign offenders to social programs. Let’s scale the program to pinpoint the geolocations of those being released on bail.
Finally, we must support programs to provide opportunity and skills to at-risk youth. The NOLA Coalition has raised nearly $5 million, and thousands of young people are getting a needed boost as a result.
We can succeed, but it will take a sense of urgency, exemplary leadership, effective execution and a relentless drive to deliver results and ensure safety. Let’s not settle for anything less.
Gregory R. Rusovich is a civic and business activist.
Leave a Reply