NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department’s manpower shortage is well documented.
The trickle-down effect is slow response time, particularly when it comes to property crimes where someone’s life is not in imminent danger.
Kendra Mack arrived at the NOPD’s 7th District headquarters to get a copy of a police report on her stolen car. Monday, someone took her 2019 Hyundai Accent from the parking lot of her apartment building in New Orleans East.
“Once I noticed my car was completely gone, I called NOPD and they said that someone will give me a call and they would not come out because of the shortage of officers, of course,” Mack said.
Police ended up calling her the next day to take a report. She tracked the stolen vehicle to the 14000 block of Curran Boulevard in the Little Woods neighborhood on her own, using a GPS device installed in her car.
“I did notify NOPD that here’s where the vehicle is and a location and they said that they were going to get somebody out, right away and nobody never came out,” Mack said.
Wednesday, WWL-TV went to that same location and sure enough, Mack’s car was still there on the street next to Maria Caston’s home.
“It’s been here two and a half days,” Caston said. “It happens a lot in my area with stolen vehicles, in and out.”
The back passenger side window was shattered, and the thief tampered with the ignition system, possibly using a USB device to start the car.
The vehicle was left unlocked, and it smelled of marijuana.
“I feel like I’m doing their job, by investigating where my car is, you know what I’m saying and nobody’s coming out and actually being concerned,” Mack said.
Police finally arrived about an hour and a half later to process the vehicle, three days after it was stolen.
"I feel a little bit better about that, that somebody came out and they gave me a reason why they were delayed,” Mack said. “They’re experiencing a lot of carjacking going around in the city, so it’s not just here, it’s everywhere else.”
The NOPD does not advise anyone to go looking for their vehicle.
Police say you don't know what or who you will encounter, so it's best to call the police.