NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick's wins and losses during her 1st year

The big picture: Violent crime has been dropping nationally for the past two years, but New Orleans' trends are improving at a faster rate.

• Violent crime was down 26% in the city for the first half of the year compared with the same time a year ago, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Nationally, the average decline was 6%, writes Axios' Russell Contreras.
• Residents told UNO they feel safer in their homes and that the quality of police protection now is better than two years ago.
• "While crime remains a major concern," the UNO report says, "it no longer dominates the conversation as it has in previous years."

Yes, but: The credit doesn't solely go to Kirkpatrick. Many of the policies that led to the improvements were already in the works or in place before she started.

Catch up quick: Mayor LaToya Cantrell nominated Kirkpatrick, most recently the police chief in Oakland, California, after a national search.

• She was sworn in as the interim chief on Sept. 22, 2023, replacing Michelle Woodfork, who had been serving as the interim NOPD chief since Shaun Ferguson retired in 2022.
• The City Council confirmed Kirkpatrick a month later.

By the numbers: Kirkpatrick has an approval rating of 56% in UNO's annual survey. Meanwhile, Cantrell is at 33%.

Here are some of Kirkpatrick's wins and losses so far.

Wins

• Crime reduction: Two years ago, New Orleans' homicide rate was the country's highest. Now, murders are down 57% compared to that timeframe, according to the city's crime dashboard. Juvenile homicides also have plummeted.
• Consent decree: The City of New Orleans is closer than ever to ending federal oversight over NOPD after more than a decade. Go deeper.
• New headquarters: NOPD moved its headquarters into a highrise on Poydras Street after Kirkpatrick told the council the previous headquarters were in "extreme disrepair" and infested with rats. Go deeper.
• Troop NOLA: This could be a win or a loss, depending who you ask. Gov. Jeff Landry created the Louisiana State Police troop in New Orleans, saying it "is the only way that I see to keep the city safe over the next decade." Kirkpatrick has publicly welcomed the partnership. Go deeper.
• Drone policy: NOPD started using drones, fulfilling Kirkpatrick's early goals to use more technology to help with policing. Go deeper.

Losses

• Gun-free zone: Kirkpatrick and other city leaders lost the battle to exempt the city, especially the French Quarter, from the state's new permitless concealed carry law. They proposed a workaround to skirt the law, but now that has run into problems.

• Rat infestation: This was an embarrassing moment that went national. Kirkpatrick told the council that rats were eating marijuana in the evidence room. "They're all high." She poked fun at herself by rocking a marijuana-rat shirt later.
• Hitting two pedestrians: Kirkpatrick hit 2 people with her police car while on duty in the French Quarter in August. She later told Axios it was her first moving violation in 50 years of driving. "No excuses. When you mess up, you fess up. Take your consequences."
• No senior promotions: Kirkpatrick recently put a round of pending promotions on hold, according to Gabriella Killett at The Times-Picayune. NOPD says it is reviewing the promotion process, but the delay is causing frustrating within the ranks, Killett writes.

What's next: A federal judge is expected to rule in the coming weeks on whether New Orleans can start the process of ending the consent decree.

• NOPD tells Axios it also plans to give a detailed look at Kirkpatrick's first year in the next few days.

Go deeper:

• Read UNO's Quality of Life survey
• See the city's crime dashboard
• Times-Picayune story about strategies leading to crime reduction