PSP Case Studies - New Orleans, Louisiana

• NCJ Number: 255470
• Date Published: 2020
• Length: 5 pages
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Training (Aid/Material); Technical Assistance; Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description; Legislation/Policy Analysis; Case Study

Annotation

This case study describes the experiences of New Orleans, Louisiana, during the 3 years it participated in the U.S. Justice Department's National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), which facilitates the development of data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the local needs of participating cities.

Abstract

New Orleans was selected for participation in PSP in March 2016 and was part of the PSP through September 2019. In 2016, the violent crime rate for New Orleans was higher than the national violent-crime rates average by 169.4 percent and was higher than the violent crime rate in Louisiana by 88.97 percent. Under the resources of training and technical assistance from PSP, New Orleans engaged key partners and stakeholders to commit to addressing the challenges of countering violent crime in the city. These partners included a mixture of local, regional, and federal criminal justice agencies. Prior to the PSP partnership, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) lacked even fundamental criminal analytical capacities, so one recommendation was to expand and improve analytical capacity. The NOPD crime analysis unit was expanded from one analyst to four, and two more analysts were added in the third year of participation in PSP. Job descriptions and budget justification accompanied these personnel additions. PSP provided training and technical assistance for the new analysts. The analytical expansion drove the Tactical Intelligence Gathering and Enforcement Response (TIGER) team. A TIGER Team was created to address armed robberies. This case study also describes improvements in technological capabilities and processes. These PSP efforts led to the development of a customized violent crime strategy and plan that focused on the most violent areas and offenders in the city. Relevant performance data are reported.