New Orleans' new partnership with federal law enforcement is underway
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New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams leads a Jan. 7 press conference with local and federal officials. Photo: Courtesy of DA Jason Williams' office
A new federal-local law enforcement partnership aims to "build on the successes" of New Orleans' recent crime reduction, according to District Attorney Jason Williams.
Why it matters: Even as local leaders tout the city's 50-year low in violent crime, they say the job is never done — and the new partnership will provide a nuanced way to sustain that momentum, Williams said.
The big picture: Federal law enforcement agents are a familiar sight in New Orleans.
- With President Trump-backed National Guard deployments drawing protests elsewhere in the U.S. — especially in similarly Democrat-led cities — New Orleans' own ongoing operation has so far drawn minimal resistance.
- That's likely because New Orleans is practically the hometown for extenuating circumstances, and the National Guard makes regular appearances here after hurricanes and other natural disasters.
- Troops also maintained a weekslong presence following 2025's terror attack.
How it works: The new local and federal partnership is called NOLA Safe, ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said during Williams' Jan. 7 press conference.
- The operation, which Jackson said was greenlit by Gov. Jeff Landry, links resources from Williams' office with the New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police, the U.S. Marshals, ATF, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Agents will "work in a collaborative way to do very focused investigations on these individuals that are a problem in the city," Jackson said. Those people, Jackson noted, have been "pre-identified" by the OPSO.
Though technically new, Jackson and Williams noted that NOLA Safe builds on a blueprint established through earlier collaborative operations.
- Those operations saw a recent narcotics bust at a French Quarter storefront, the seizure of a Central City car wash last summer, and the 2024 closure of a 24-hour tire shop in the Treme.
Zoom in: Some parts of the operation will be visible, Jackson noted, like the National Guard's deployment through Mardi Gras.
- But there are also parts the public won't necessarily see.
- With federal and local law enforcement closely tied, investigations can more quickly rise to federal prosecutions, should the evidence point that way.
- "Having detectives, investigators, agents paired with the National Guard means there's an actual investigation of the crime so that we have something to prosecute," Williams said.
Between the lines: Louisiana National Guard troops don't have arresting powers.
- "A big guy or a woman with camouflage and a rifle — that's a presence," Williams said, referencing the Guardsmen's visibility. "But that's not going to produce a police report that can lead to an investigation that actually holds someone accountable."
Worth noting: Landry's spokesperson did not reply to questions about the scope and goals of Operation NOLA Safe.