Local business, religious leaders against lifting residency

[sunny]

This is absolutely crazy. We need more cops on the streets, our crime rate speaks to that. NOW there is talk of "taxing" people who work in, but live outside of, Orleans Parish. That's it. I'm moving!

wwltv.com


Chamber of Commerce recommends keeping officer residency requirement

11:55 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 1, 2005

By SHAUNA SANFORD / WWL-TV

Could more police officers on the streets help reduce crime in New Orleans? That question is at the center of a growing debate over whether the city should drop the long-standing residency requirement.

The Chamber of Commerce has released a long awaited study on the issue. The study recommends that the residency requirement be retained. It says that residency requirements were never intended to be a crime reduction policy.

For example, the study says Los Angeles has fewer police officers per 1,000 people than New Orleans, and yet its homicide rate is three times lower, suggesting that there is more to crime fighting than just police force numbers.

The study also finds that New Orleans will suffer economic losses because of a decline in population, shrinking retail sales, lower property values and poorer municipal services.

A group of business, religious and civic leaders opposed to lifting the ban rallied Wednesday outside City Hall.

When it comes to recruiting and hiring, the study says there's no shortage of applicants for the NOPD, but that most of the applicants are often disqualified after going through background checks.

As for the starting pay, in New Orleans the salary is $30,000. Atlanta starts officers at $32,000 and Boston at $53,000.

The study recommends that NOPD increase its salary, attract better applicants, raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 and require two or more years of college.

It also calls for the NOPD to review its daily practices and deployment plans, saying strategies within the police department can have a direct influence on crime.

Police Chief Eddie Compass supports temporarily lifting the ban to combat a serious crime problem. City Councilmen Oliver Thomas and Jay Batt have proposed an ordinance to lift the ban for three years and offer incentives for officers who live in Orleans Parish.

Mayor Ray Nagin has never taken a position on the issue, but he says "if the council approves it, a majority of the council approves this, I'll sign it into law."

A vote on the ordinance proposed by Batt and Thomas has been deferred until June 16. Batt says they want to hear more from the public on this issue.