NOPD Graduates Members Of NOLA Patrol Program – Civilian Officers Begin FQ Patrols Today

NEW ORLEANS — On Thursday, May 14, 2015, the NOPD graduated 20 members of the NOLA Patrol, a contingent of civilian officers who are trained to assume various non-emergency tasks under the direction of the NOPD Eighth District, and will hit the streets today to handle non-emergency, quality-of-life issues and enhance police visibility in the area.

         The program is a partnership between the City and the hospitality industry that aims to improve and enhance public safety and quality of life for French Quarter residents, workers and visitors.

         “Our number one priority is public safety and we want our officers focused on it every day,” said NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison. “The NOLA Patrol will add to the growing police presence in the French Quarter area and take on the thousands of non-emergency calls the area receives every year. This will improve response times and free up Eighth District Officers to focus on emergencies and proactive patrols.”

         “We are proud to put the first class of NOLA Patrol on the ground – an innovative approach that will increase public safety for both French Quarter and the entire city,” he said. “This is just the latest part of our ongoing, strategic and proactive plan to reduce crime in the French Quarter, and we are already seeing strong results. But, our focus is and will remain on making every community in every part of this city a safe and vibrant place to raise a family.

         NOLA Patrol members will be permitted to write citations and summonses for City code violations, including:

• Enforcing parking laws, issuing parking tickets, having illegally parked vehicles towed

• Enforcing artist and transient vendor permits and writing citations

• Under guidance, performing non-emergency assignments related to law enforcement, security, crime detection, report writing, and issuance of administrative citations and court summonses

• Writing citations for illegal parking, oversized vehicles, dumping and sanitation compliance, illegal vending and illegal for hire and taxi-cab operations, in compliance with state and City laws

• Discouraging quality-of-life crimes and enforcing non-criminal law compliance

         Members of the NOLA Patrol received nearly 200 hours of training over a five-week period at the NOPD Training Academy. The curriculum includes instruction from FBI, LSPCA, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and various City agencies including the Taxicab Bureau and the Department of Public Works.

         In 2013, the Louisiana Legislature authorized hotels in New Orleans to add a voluntary self-assessment 1.75% hotel/motel tax that would be added to hotel bills at participating hotels. Of that, 1.5% is split evenly between New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation and New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau for marketing purposes, with quarter cent going to the City for services for the French Quarter. The quarter cent is expected to generate approximately $2.3 million in 2015 and more in 2016. The 2015 funding allocation has been approved by the City Council and included funds for sidewalk and lighting repairs, as well as the NOLA Patrol.