NEW ORLEANS — In a ceremony full of pomp-and-circumstance in front of Gallier Hall, native son and 21-year veteran officer Shaun Ferguson was sworn in Friday as the new superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department.
The event began with a final inspection of the troops by outing Chief Michael Harrison, who surprised many people when it was announced two weeks ago that he had accepted the job as the new police commissioner in Baltimore.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell moved swiftly this month to select Ferguson as the department’s new chief, bypassing a national search or selection of an interim chief.
Cantrell had warm words for the departing Harrison and encouragement for Ferguson, who was a protégé of the outgoing chief.
"We love you chief,” Cantrell whispered to Harrison as the two shared an emotional embrace in front of a crowd of dignitaries and NOPD honor guard.
Ferguson’s son, Shaun Duane Ferguson Jr., held a bible as his father took the formal oath to uphold the law.
In his brief comments after being sworn in, Ferguson thanked his family, the mayor, his fellow officers and the community.
“To our citizens, we are in this together,” Ferguson said. “We could not be here without you. And I thank you for everything you have done thus far to support us.”
The newly minted chief, who previously served as commander of the police training academy, offered special words of gratitude for Harrison.
“Chief Harrison, my leader, my mentor. Many of you do not know, Chief Harrison was a reference for me when I came on the job,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson spent the past week shadowing Harrison, and now says he is ready to hit the ground running.
The fact that Ferguson is a homegrown talent, born in the Lower Ninth Ward and raised in Algiers, was applauded by many officials, including City Council President Jason Williams.
“I am so happy that the mayor chose Chief Ferguson,” Williams said, “someone from within who understands what we've had to do and how we've gotten to where we've gotten. Because we have a lot further to go.”
One notable official in attendance Friday was U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, who is presiding over the city’s police consent decree to improve standards at the NOPD. Ferguson and Cantrell both expressed a goal of moving toward the final stages of that federal oversight.