NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation doesn’t hire NOPD officers. It works to help attract qualified candidates to the department.
So far, this has been a banner year for the non-profit when it comes to applications received.
“We’ll probably hit 2,000 by the end of June which puts us on track for 4,000 applications in 2023, which is up significantly from last year which was 2600,” NOPJF Chair Elizabeth Boh said.
According to Boh, the foundation has driven more than 45,000 applicants to the NOPD over the past decade.
“Based on where we are right now, it looks like we could have as many as 35 to 40 in the next recruit class which will start in July,” Boh said. “That would probably be the biggest recruit class in maybe a decade.”
This comes at a time when the NOPD, built for 1500 commission officers, will likely drop below 900 in a matter of weeks.
Despite the foundation’s successes, Boh confirms the group’s recruitment agreement with the NOPD expires at the end of July and both sides have decided not to renew that agreement.
“After much discussion and talking we determined, we both determined, both parties felt like it was time for this to be as it is in most other cities, it’s a function of the department itself,” Boh said.
During her weekly briefing, Mayor Latoya Cantrell gave the NOPD credit for recent recruiting gains.
“Not being disparaging against our partners at the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, but we know without a doubt the progress that we’ve made has everything to do the changes we have deployed again with the New Orleans Police department,” Cantrell said.
The mayor now expects the NOPD to be “solely” responsible for recruiting new officers going forward.
The New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation isn’t going away.
It now plans to focus on some of its other charitable endeavors such as providing the NOPD with equipment, leadership training and technology.
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