NEW ORLEANS — The City is one step closer to starting a nationwide search for the next top cop in New Orleans.
Thursday, Mayor Latoya Cantrell finally signed a contract with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
That’s the organization now poised to conduct the NOPD superintendent search.
It’s been about 70 days since former Supt. Shaun Ferguson stepped down.
“Obviously, we’re watching to make sure there to make sure there aren’t any issues,” City Councilman Joe Giarrusso said.
In December, Mayor Cantrell appointed Michelle Woodfork as interim superintendent.
Giarrusso says he wasn’t sure whether the Cantrell administration was purposely slow walking the search process.
“I don’t like to ever attribute bad motives to people and I’m at the point of I don’t know what the right answer is," he said. "I just want it done.”
Wednesday, the mayor gave reporters an update on the search.
“The contract has been in the negotiation phase with our partner agency that has been selected,” Cantrell said. “It is being routed for signatures now that those negotiations have been completed.”
Terms of the contract were not released.
“More to come on that search will be forthcoming,” Cantrell said. "But just excited to get through the legal process, if you will."
In the meantime, the city council was hoping to increase the pool of applicants by raising the estimated $180,000 base salary for the police chief.
And by offering whoever is chosen for the job a long-term contract beyond the current city administration.
Unlike previous selections for NOPD superintendent, the council will have much more input. A charter change adopted overwhelmingly by voters in November now requires a confirmation process for top mayoral appointees.
“I think it also sort of like having and sports team when you have an interim coach, right now, is this really going to be the final philosophy? Is this going to be the final signal caller?” Giarrusso said. “We just need to wrap those things up to make sure NOPD and the public have some finality.”
Michelle Woodfork’s interim appointment is now set to expire on April 21.
Wednesday, council president J.P. Morrell sent a letter to the mayor threatening to block any effort to extend the appointment unless he received a copy of the signed contract with the vendor conducting the national search.
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