Crime Coalition study says New Orleanians feel unsafe
6th July 2021 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
A recently released study by the New Orleans Crime Coalition revealed a majority of local citizens did not feel the city was safe, but still remained satisfied with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).
The yearly survey, conducted of 800 residents by Faucheux Strategies from June 11-17, showed 74 percent of New Orleans residents believed crime got worse in the past year. Satisfaction with the NOPD was down five points to 52 percent from the last survey. As in previous years, there was little disparity in responses among Black and white citizens, with 51 percent satisfaction among Black residents and 52 percent satisfaction among white residents.
The biggest divergence was in age groups. Only 37 percent of residents ages 18-44 were satisfied with the NOPD, compared to 58 percent of residents ages 45 and over.
Sixty-three percent of New Orleans residents expressed satisfaction with the NOPD’s work in their neighborhood, with the highest satisfaction in Lakeview/Mid-City (79%). The approval rating was lowest in New Orleans East and Gentilly/Lower 9 (55%).
But only 35 percent of respondents said New Orleans was safe citywide. That marked a 22-point drop compared to the 2020 survey. However, 24 percent of respondents who said the city is not safe still expressed satisfaction with the NOPD.
Forty-seven percent of respondents believed police brutality and misconduct have remained the same. Twenty-nine percent believed they have decreased and 14 percent believed they have increased. Eighteen percent of Blacks believed they have increased, compared to nine percent of whites.
One sore point among respondents was the NOPD’s response to car thefts and break-ins, with 85 percent negatively rating the NOPD’s performance there.
Darlene Cusanza, president and CEO of CrimeStoppers and a member of the New Orleans Crime Coalition, said the report is useful because it lets leaders know how citizens feel about crime and law enforcement in a non-partisan way.
“It’s not meant to be political. It’s meant to be a tool,” Cusanza said. “People are responding to what they hear on the news and what they see in their neighborhoods.”
When asked what actions she hoped to see going forward, Cusanza said she hoped the police department would receive more funding to put more officers on the streets. She also said she hoped neighborhood businesses and neighborhood leaders would continue to build relationships with the NOPD and vice versa.
Cusanza also said it’s important for the entire criminal justice system to be transparent because transparency increases public trust in law enforcement.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson issued a statement in response to the survey.
“We take this survey as a learning opportunity. Given the increase in crime here in New Orleans and across the country, it should come as no surprise that our citizens [are] as concerned and frustrated as we are,” Ferguson said. “Despite this, we are encouraged that a majority of New Orleans residents are satisfied with NOPD. We want the citizens of our city to know that we remain engaged in combating violent crime. But we can’t do it without them. We need them to let us know what they see.”
Ferguson also acknowledged that there is more work to be done in preventing violent crime and holding individuals accountable for their actions.
On June 29, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell held a press conference to discuss the rising gun violence in the city. She said her plan will focus on prevention, apprehension and intervention.
$9 million has been invested in job and education programs for youth and adults reentering society.
“Nothing stops a bullet like a job, so aligning our young people with the soft skills that they need, but also the workforce training that they need, as well as the workforce opportunities to earn,” Cantrell said at the press conference.
Cantrell also said she hopes to take certain burdens off the police department’s shoulders, such as calls that would be better handled by mental health professionals. She also said she hopes to improve the NOPD’s retention rates.
The mayor added that reducing crime is a community effort.
“It takes all of us and all of us play a tremendous role,” Cantrell said at the press conference.
The administration also said a portion of the city’s $388-million COVID-19 relief package will be spent to boost the ranks of the NOPD.
Readers who want to download the New Orleans Crime Coalition’s 2021 NOPD Citizen Satisfaction Survey can do so at www.NewOr-leansCrimeCoalition.org.
This article originally published in the July 5, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
