(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The New Orleans Police Department announced that they will be hiring civilians to do police work, as cops continue to leave the city in droves after the local government turned against them and made it easier for people to commit crimes.
According to the Post Millennial, many of the new hires are in administrative roles, but some will also fill duties formerly reserved for detectives.
“As we take calls over the phone, there may be some evidence that needs to be collected with that call,” said NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. “We’ll have civilian investigators go out and collect that evidence instead of an officer having to go out there and collect that evidence.”
New Orleans recently became the murder capitol of the country, edging out St. Louis after a 78% increase in homicides in 2022. The average police response time to a crime scene in the city is 11 minutes.
The goal of the NOPD’s new initiative is to bring in regular citizens to perform administrative tasks, answer incoming phone calls and collect evidence as necessary. The NOPD is facing a massive police shortage after losing 150 officers in just the last year.
“My message to you, to those of you that may have been disqualified in the past, I’m urging you to resubmit your application because some of our hiring criteria has changed,” Ferguson said.
The department has relaxed hiring standards concerning applicants’ credit scores and previous use of marijuana.
Civilians do not need experience or certifications to begin the work, but they do need to pass a background check and complete a short training session.
Police officers are no longer legally required to respond to calls for some types of theft, forgery, medical emergencies, lost animals and some car accidents in New Orleans.
The new civilian force was a recommendation by a new NOPD consultant, New York Police Department’s Fausto Picardo, who said, “action must be taken now if there is ever a chance to save the city and bring the reputation of being a city where tourists can come to party and celebrate and not become victims.”
