NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans is apparently prepared to throw a lot of money at the problem of a dwindling police force in an attempt to increase both retention and recruitment.
Pay incentives in the proposed package, some of which is subject to Civil Service Commission or City Council action, include:
- $30,000 recruit incentive that includes a $20,000 bonus at the end of the first year of service out of the academy plus another $10,000 bonus after three years.
- Pay of $5,000 for every 5 years of service up to 20 years
- Increased starting pay that includes a 5 percent pay hike in 2023
- 2 Additional guaranteed pay raises of 5 percent in 2024 and 2025
- Fully-funded health insurance – all premiums for officers and their dependents/spouse paid by city through at least 2025.
Police have been leaving the department at a rapid rate. Ideally the force should be well over 1,000 officers, with some having set the desired goal at 1,600 in years past. Currently there are fewer than 1,000 officers and it has resulted in several issues.
Mardi Gras parade routes were shortened, response times to non-emergency calls have soared while even those for emergency responses have risen sharply.
The 31-minute average time to respond to high-priority 911 calls is also 12 minutes more than what it was in 2015, when an investigation by The New Orleans Advocate and WWL-TV sparked changes that would help shave several minutes from what were then alarming delays.