New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Monday that she has chosen Anne Kirkpatrick, a former chief of police in Oakland and Spokane, Washington, to head the New Orleans Police Department, a nomination subject to the approval of the City Council.
Kirkpatrick has been hailed as a reformer by her supporters. If she is approved by the City Council, she would head a police department that has been operating under a broad reform agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that was approved by a federal judge in 2013. It was the result of federal investigations growing out of deadly police shootings of civilians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Also facing the new chief: a force that has been steadily dropping in manpower in recent years, even amid jumps in violent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters approved a measure last year granting the council the right to approve or reject a nominee for police chief. Council Vice President Helena Moreno, among critics of the selection process, did not guarantee approval in a statement reacting to the nomination.
"All I have asked for during the search for a new police chief is that the very best candidate be chosen in a transparent and fair process," Moreno said."Arguably, transparency has been an issue, but hopefully, more can be brought to light as we move toward the confirmation process. I look forward to learning more about Anne Kirkpatrick, her previous work, and most importantly, her plans to make the city of New Orleans safer and improve our NOPD.
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