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The New Orleans Police Department is reportedly suffering from a staffing shortage as the city deals with an unprecedented spike in crime in recent years.
Statistics from the Metropolitan Crime Commission show that homicides alone have increased 128% since 2019 and 46% since 2021.
Since 2019, the city has seen shootings go up by 138%, carjackings by 240%, and armed robberies by 26%, according to the statistics.
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One fed-up New Orleans homeowner who said she had had her home twice broken into told local station WGNO-TV she has “a better chance of calling Ghostbusters,” given the lack of response she received from the police department.
NOPD Public Information Officer Gary Scheets told Fox News Wednesday that the problem of staffing shortages is a nationwide problem, not only in his department.
Police vehicles block access to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. (Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Law enforcement agencies around the country are facing the same challenges related to recruiting and retention of police officers. This is not unique to New Orleans,” Scheets said. “Operational plans are developed to strategically deploy resources with the utmost regard for ensuring public safety.”
Scheets said that New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office has put forth a retention bonus plan to address the issue.
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“The key to curbing (violent crime outbreaks) and addressing those is to identify the people that are responsible for the disproportionate amount of violent crime and arresting them, prosecuting them and convicting them,” Rafael Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission told WDSU. “Then we see the crime rate go down.”
