NOPD cracks down on speeders in back-to-school rush

State of play: NOPD's recent push to expand traffic enforcement extends to speeding in school zones, too, officers said between writing tickets near Alice Harte Charter School on Tuesday morning.

• To make that happen, cops outside NOPD's traffic division are writing tickets, too.
• "Just as recent as last week, we did a recertification for officers throughout the department," said Lt. Avery Theard, the assistant commander of NOPD's traffic division. "And we provided ... radars or LIDARs to each district to be a part of our traffic safety efforts."

The big picture: New Orleans' school zone traffic cameras have been off since April 2025 after a state law mandated that any revenue generated by them be split between the city and schools.

• The cameras have remained off since then as disagreements on the details of that split and follow-up legal battles with the state have played out.
• The city ended up suing the state, The Times-Picayune reports, arguing that the mandated revenue share is essentially an illegal donation. A hearing in that case is set for Sept. 21.

Between the lines: A 2025 law banned the use of speed cameras outside school zones.

• Red light cameras remain in operation, a city spokesman says.

How it works: NOPD officers use radar and LIDAR to track the speed of oncoming cars. The devices have a small laser inside the viewfinder for pinpoint accuracy, NOPD's Sgt. Rodney Brown said.

• "It's almost like a rifle," he said. "There's no debate about 'it was the guy on my left or the guy on my right.' Nah. It was you."
• NOPD's traffic division pops up in school zones around the city during morning commutes, responding to neighbor complaints or tips from school resource officers that drivers are getting out of line, Brown said.
• The most tickets, he said, tend to get written closer to 8am. "That's the 'I'm late, I'm late, I'm late' people," Brown said.