statepolice.JPG
New Orleans Police officers and Louisiana State Troopers in the 100 block Bourbon Street at about 3 a.m. in New Orleans on July 5, 2014.
(Photo by Chris Granger, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
A patrol of 50 civilians could soon hit French Quarter streets, handling traffic duties and other non-emergency assignments in a plan floated by the mayor's office Thursday (Aug. 21).
Dubbed "NOLA PATROL," the unarmed, uniformed civilian officers would theoretically free up an understaffed New Orleans Police Department to focus on more serious crimes.
"We all have a responsibility to ensure our city is safe for residents, employees and visitors alike," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a release announcing the plan. "These measures are a great first step."
Funding for the patrol would come from the city's hospitality industry in the form of a year-old hotel/motel tax - 0.25 percent of which is currently earmarked for city services in the French Quarter.
That 0.25 percent is estimated to net $200,000 a month, city officials said, and the use of that revenue stream for citizen patrols would require an agreement between the city and the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau and city council approval.
Modeled after the New York Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Agents, New Orleans citizen officers could perform traffic control duties as well as write parking tickets and respond to accidents that do not result in injuries.
But in some incidents, the line between criminal and non-criminal is not always clear, said Donovan Livaccari, spokesman and attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police.
"Police are equipped to handle whatever comes at them, and things aren't always as they seem," he said. "They could utilize civilian personnel effectively, but what amount of an officer's burden that's going to lift is unclear."
Landrieu's announcement drew a cautious optimism from the leaders of some French Quarter organizations.
"Lack of enforcement of basic quality of life rules has contributed to the perception that anything goes in the French Quarter neighborhood," said Meg Lousteau, executive director of the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates organization.
"These patrols would not only serve to provide consistent enforcement of the basics, but would also mean additional uniforms on the streets, 24/7, which would undoubtedly improve overall security."
The announcement comes as Landrieu and NOPD Interim Superintendent Michael Harrison work with State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson about keeping some of the 50 troopers deployed in the city following the Bourbon Street shooting that killed one woman and injured nine others.
The troopers are scheduled to depart by Labor Day (Sept. 1), but Edmonson previously indicated a willingness to keep some - but not all - of the troopers in the city.
That impending departure date led Bourbon Street business owners to draft their own plan calling for them to pool money to the initial hiring of three off-duty NOPD officers to patrol the busy street.
"In the French Quarter, a physical police presence acts as a deterrence," said Robert Watters, chairman of the French Quarter Management District. "That's the wonderful thing about the troopers. They're on the streets. That physical presence is what we need."
Watters and others said more information was needed to decide whether expending funds for citizen officers is the best idea in light of the myriad infrastructure and safety needs faced by the city.
"I'm not sure municipal enforcement is the prime focus," Watters said. "Right now, the prime focus is on establishing law and order."