NEW ORLEANS – The 2023 NOPD Citizens Satisfaction Survey, conducted by Ron Faucheux on behalf of the New Orleans Crime Coalition (a different group than the NOLA Coalition), contains some discomforting results, namely that public satisfaction with safety continues to fall.
That said, there is some good news that should be highlighted, including that, by nearly four-to-one margin, residents think that police misconduct has decreased in recent years.
Moreover, the results of the NOCC survey overwhelmingly support the platform of the NOLA Coalition, a collection of local nonprofits, civic organizations and businesses focused on improving public safety and investing in social services.
Proposals supported by at least nine out of 10 residents include improving NOPD’s capacity to better investigate and solve crimes (93%), increasing NOPD manpower to better patrol neighborhoods (91%) and further raising police pay (91%). Strong majorities also support allowing police to track the type and size of cars used by crime suspects (81%), improving computer analytics (79%), using legal crime cameras (78%) and employing facial recognition technologies (71%).
Further, a very strong majority support increased investment in social and counseling programs (86%), which aligns with the NOLA Coalition’s commitment to a $15M investment in youth service nonprofits.
Clearly, the public wants action. But they also want transparency: 85% of respondents said they wanted more detailed information about officer recruitment, which is what the NOLA Coalition is providing via its monthly Recruitment and Retention Dashboard.
New Orleans has further to go towards providing the safety we need for our children and our city. The results of the most recent NOCC survey make it clear that the residents of New Orleans overwhelmingly support the dual platform of the NOLA Coalition as the way to get us to this better future.
The NOLA Coalition will redouble focus on its platform, which can be seen here, and urges rapid and full implementation of the several reforms and improvements already passed.
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