NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans City Council voted to confirm Anne Kirkpatrick as the New Orleans Police Department Superintendent on Thursday.
Council voted 6-1 to approve Kirkpatrick. Oliver Thomas was the lone council member to vote no.
"I will be all in on everything associated with the safety of this city to embrace the culture, to embrace the traditions and uphold them," Kirkpatrick said before the vote.
Mayor Cantrell and Council member Helena Moreno released statements on the confirmation of Anne Kirkpatrick.
"Today marks the culmination of an extensive process that has now officially resulted in Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, and her over 40 years of law enforcement experience, leading the world-class New Orleans Police Department," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "After much engagement with the NOPD, New Orleans City Council, business and community leaders and other esteemed stakeholders, my administration cast the widest net possible to ensure we identified the strongest successor to lead this department. Chief Kirkpatrick's experience and knowledge are unmatched, and I have the utmost confidence that she will continue to build off the progress already being made by our department.
Moreno said, "we need an independent and determined chief laser-focused on improving public safety. Anne Kirkpatrick has committed to being this type of leader, and I will hold her accountable for that. I want this new chief, who was selected by the Mayor, to be successful - we need her to be successful. Her success is the people’s success. It is important to put away politics so we can together keep pushing to create a safer New Orleans and ensure that the NOPD is a responsible, fair and responsive agency.”
Kirkpatrick has been serving as Interim Superintendent for about three weeks. She laid out her plan for the city and the department during a confirmation hearing with councilmembers last week.
"I do believe in procedural justice, that people should have a voice, that decisions are made with equity, that just because you can use power doesn’t mean you should use power," Kirkpatrick said about her leadership skills.
Kirkpatrick is the first female to become NOPD superintendent, coming after Woodfork opened the door as the first female interim chief.
Kirkpatrick, a 35-year police veteran with 20 years in leadership position, last served as police chief in Oakland, Calif. Like Oakland, the NOPD has been laboring under a sweeping federal consent decree to foster Constitutional policing and usher in sound training and leadership.
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