NEW ORLEANS — A new survey shows people’s satisfaction with the New Orleans Police Department has dipped to its lowest level since the city’s Crime Coalition started its annual survey 14 years ago.
Less than a third of New Orleans residents polled - only 31% - are satisfied with the city’s police department.
“The residents of New Orleans see the crime problem is not improving," NOCC spokesman Greg Rusovich said. “Seventy percent say the city is not safe, seventy percent say it’s not gotten better and the satisfaction rate of the NOPD as an institution is at its lowest level it’s been since we’ve been doing the survey, really since 2009.”
The survey of 800 adults also finds that only 9 percent of those polled believe the NOPD is doing a better job than it did last year.
This, while 38% say it’s doing worse, and 50% say it’s doing about the same.
Rusovich says the low numbers are driven mostly by the department’s manpower woes.
“It’s a crisis stage. It needs to be addressed with an incredible sense of urgency. Dramatic action needs to be taken.”
According to Police Association of New Orleans President Capt. Michael Glasser, right now the department is down to about 900 officers. He expects that number to drop below 900 in the next couple of months.
“We’re a department that should be at 1500 or better,” Glasser said. “We were at one time almost 1600. The goal has always been 1200. We’ve lowered the bar. We can’t get there either.”
Capt. Glasser also says the NOPD is down another 43 officers since the beginning of the year.
“We’re hundreds of officers down from where we should be and without that, it’s like playing whack a mole. You try to put people where you need to as best you can and every week, we’re losing somebody else.”
Rusovich says people’s lack of satisfaction with the NOPD and safety concerns are not only quality-of-life issues but job killers as well.
“People are not going to move businesses here as a result if they’re not safe and people are going to move away from here, which is what’s happening.”
On a positive note, 54% of residents surveyed are more satisfied with the work the NOPD is doing in their own neighborhoods. That’s an improvement over last year.
The survey also showed 62% would prefer a police chief elected by the voters.
Right now, the NOPD’s top officer is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council.
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