NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell wrapped up her latest District A budget town hall Thursday night, this time in Lakeview. With the meeting came homeowners with many questions, but perhaps the biggest question that remained surrounded staffing issues within the city.
“We currently operate with 60% of the current staff. I want you to think about that for a minute, 60 percent of the number of EMS providers to make the city safe and healthy,” explained New Orleans EMS Director Dr. Meg Marino.
But the topic on everyone’s mind was crime and the dwindling force at the NOPD.
“The New Orleans Police Department continues to fight the good fight day in and day out, but there needs to be some level of accountability,” said NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. “The fact that our criminals don’t believe their actions have consequences makes them bolder and more brazen.”
Perhaps the most shocking moment of the fairly quiet event was the final question — when Mayor Cantrell was asked about public safety and the future of Mardi Gras 2023.
“If we don’t have adequate police, it could mean no Mardi Gras — and that’s a fact. If our officers can’t be safe, then there’s no way our city can be safe,” Cantrell said.
The mayor went on to say that the NOPD is focusing on recruitment and retention and urged New Orleanians who are interested in protecting and serving the community to join the force.
