NEW ORLEANS -- On the heels of another violent weekend in the city, members of a local anti-crime group unveiled results of a new study that finds people across the city lack confidence in the New Orleans Police Department.
In August, the New Orleans Crime Coalition initiated a survey of 600 residents to gauge their satisfaction of the NOPD in a variety of areas.
To see the survey click here, and click here for a further breakdown of the numbers.
A little more than 30 percent were satisfied with the NOPD when it comes to tackling violent crime, and only 33 percent said they were satisfied with the department's overall performance.
NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley offered his response, shortly after the coalition released the numbers.
"30 to 50 percent is certainly not acceptable to myself, any of the command staff that you see sitting here, or any of the officers that work for NOPD," he said.
Riley said he appreciates the survey and vows to work on the shortcomings. But he offered some statistics of his own, saying crime in the city is trending downward in a number of areas.
He also commended his district commanders, and officers on the streets.
"They have been incredible in a sense that they have been out here guiding, directing, disciplining, and educating the members of their units, as well as the citizens," Riley said. "As this police department continues to recruit and improve its numbers, and improve its equipment, and focus on professionalism, our numbers will improve."
The New Orleans Crime Coalition is made up of various group from across the city, including the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
Officials say the study provides an opportunity to identify the biggest problem areas, and ways to solve them.
"This is a beginning point,” said Nolan Rollins, president of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. “This is just a point where we start out, and we say, 'This is what the community feels about where we are now. Let us know what's happening, and how we actually get to 100 percent in all of these areas.'"
Organizers point out, crime issues are based on a variety of factors.
"It's part of a system first, and that system is embedded on top of the broken education system, the broken playground system, the broken families, communities, and neighborhoods," said Jay Lapeyre, chairman of the New Orleans Crime Coalition.
In his response, Riley talked about the challenges of policing in post-Katrina New Orleans, and also said various investigations surrounding allegations of misconduct within the department add to a negative public perception.
"This survey is certainly something for us to be concerned about. We certainly want the perception of what's happening in this city to change. And we want it to change because crime is getting better, our police department is getting better, our citizens are getting better, and our overall city is getting better," he said.
