NEW ORLEANS — Just days before New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson is set to step down, there’s been no announcement from city hall as to what happens next.
With the clock ticking down, the anticipation of who Mayor Latoya Cantrell will tap to lead the NOPD is up. Ferguson is set to retire Thursday, December 22.
“We’ll be on chief watch between the 22nd and the end of the year,” president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyeneche said.
Goyeneche says there’s still a big question about what will happen since voters gave the city council the power to approve mayoral appointments. That change doesn’t take effect until January.
“If she attempts to make a permanent appointment, she is going to be ignoring the wishes of the public,” Goyeneche said.
It would also be against the wishes of the city council. After the mayor asked for suggestions, the council sent a letter outlining a four-step process. The council wants the mayor to appoint an interim, launch a national search, form a selection committee, then allow the city council to confirm.
“We’ve had national searches in the past that yielded really good candidates and given where we are at this moment, don’t we want to make sure that we have the best either man or woman for this job?” District A councilman Joe Giarrusso said.
Multiple sources tell Eyewitness news the mayor interviewed current officers for an interim position. Those sources say Chief Deputy Jonette Williams and Captain Michelle Woodfork are the top two, with Williams favorited.
That could indicate the mayor plans to do a national search, although she hasn’t openly supported one.
“It may very well be, the most qualified person is an NOPD officer right now, but we won’t know that unless we conduct a search and see who applies and determine objectively who is the best possible leader,” Goyeneche said.
Back in August the mayor hired a former NYPD officer to act as a consultant for the NOPD to make the department better.
“So, if the mayor recognizes of bringing in a national expert, why would we not follow that model when we’re looking for the best possible police chief to lead the department forward,” Goyeneche said.
Goyeneche says over the last three years, New Orleans has seen increases in violent crimes and decreases in officer numbers.
“This is really going to be a defining moment from a public safety perspective with respect to this mayor in what she elects to do between now and the end of the year,” said Goyeneche.
A decision council members say should be more than just one person’s decision.
“It’s more important than the city council, it’s more important than politics. It’s more important than just about anything we’re dealing with right now,” District E Councilman Oliver Thomas said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the mayor’s office Monday to see if there have been any updates, but we’ve not heard back.
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