Carnival of Fear

In New Orleans, Louisiana, it is Mardi Gras, a period where normally the good times would be rolling and people would be getting ready to parade and party and the only concern would be to have a good time.This year, however, local citizens have an additional priority to focus on:staying safe.

New Orleans, long known as one of the murder capitols of the United States, has experienced a large spike in violent crime dating back to the start of 2014. According to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD),the city saw the number of armed robbery’s jump from 744 in 2013 to 1,022 in 2014, an increase of 37%. Additionally, the number of assaults went up from 1,495 in 2013 to 1,906 in 2014, an increase of 27%. The trend has continued into the New Year, as there have already been 423 assault cases and 118 robberies since January 1st. If these numbers continue at their current rate, they will more than double last year’s totals by the end of the year.

This could affect the economic impact that Mardi Gras brings with it. According to reports done by individual Mardi Gras Krewe’s, Mardi Gras tends to have a direct economic impact of about $145 million and an indirect economic impact of about $322 million dollars for the city. With the increase in crime comes the concern that some tourists may stay away for fearof safety.

But what has led to the sudden increase in crime? Both the NOPD and New Orleans’ City Hall never responded to requests for an interview. However, former New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas was willing to offer up his answer: under-staffing.

“Attrition is a function of separations (retirement,resignation, termination) and hiring” Serpas said. “The two offset one another for an attrition rate. In the NOPD for essentially the entire first term of the (Mayor Mitch) Landrieu administration,the NOPD was not allowed to hire to assist in city efforts to offset major budget deficits. What is critical here is that for police departments the size of New Orleans to have a positive attrition rate (meaning more hires than departures) a department must have a“continual hiring” program – our request was denied due to funding issues at the city level. Therefore, the NOPD lost upwards of 400 officers and supervisors without replacement between May of 2010 and June of 2014.”

Serpas, now a professor of Criminal Justice at Loyola University of New Orleans, served as Police Superintendent from 2010 to 2014.He, Landrieu and current Superintendent Michael Harrison have all stated that the NOPD’s goal was to have 1,600 officers on staff. As of January, they currently have 1,156 officers, according to an address Landrieu made.

Though Serpas blames the budget issues, one NOPD officer released an anonymous letter last March to The New Orleans Times-Picayune indicating that part of the reason has been low morale, stating “Some(officers) are going to other agencies, and some are leaving the job all together,so sickened, beaten down, or just plain worn out by their experiences here.”

Whatever the cause, Serpas remained adamant that “under-staffing is the key issue” for the increase in crime. In an attempt to increase security, Harrison said in a statement to the media that 150 Louisiana State Police (LSP) troopers will be added to patrol during Mardi Gras. Serpas said this is the norm.

“The LSP has been part of the NOPD Mardi Gras plan since at least 1980, or maybe even a little longer. They are excellent partners and assistance like this is common throughout the country.”

The NOPD has had a mixed reaction to this decision, with Police Association of New Orleans President Capt. Michael Glasser saying in a statement to WWL-TV, “"What their presence here does, besides provide public safety, it gives the administration of the city, more time and more opportunity to do nothing."

When asked how the NOPD and LSP’s relationship was during his tenure, Serpas only said “excellent,” without elaborating further.

Harrison took over for Serpas as Superintendent on August 26th and he has taken initiatives to add more officers to the department by filling the reserves as well as ending a mandatory requirement that officers complete 60 hours of college credit (which has received the backing of the City Council) per a report by The New Orleans Advocate. Serpas believes he will get the job done.

“I had picked Mike to be one of our new Police Commanders in April of 2011. I had, and continue to have, full confidence in his ability. He, like all Chiefs, must have the tools and resources to get the job done if they are to be held accountable.”

A brawl involving over a dozen men broke out Tuesday night on Bourbon Street resulting in multiple injuries. It took NOPD more than ten minutes to respond.