The retirement of Police Chief Shaun Ferguson marks the end of an eventful yet turbulent era at NOPD.
Ferguson was dealt a difficult hand as New Orleans’ police chief. NOPD had been losing officers for years. That exodus accelerated on his watch. Ferguson also had to deal with COVID, a violent crime wave, low morale among cops, and plummeting public confidence in NOPD.
Publicly, Mayor Cantrell always had Ferguson’s back. But politically, no amount of statistics claiming reductions in crime could offset the near-constant flood of bad news. Cantrell’s critics began calling for Ferguson’s resignation last year.
Now that he’s leaving, the next police chief will inherit a department in shambles — another difficult hand. Here’s hoping the new chief will quickly earn the confidence of cops and citizens — and turn things around. Our city’s viability, and our very lives, depend on it.
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