Survey: 86 percent of NOPD officers report being dissatisfied with the department

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New survey results of NOPD officers show the vast majority of those who responded are dissatisfied with the department overall. With efforts underway for pay raises and incentives, the question is will these be enough to stop attrition at the department?

The survey, commissioned by New Orleans City Council and carried out with the help of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, collected responses from 268 current NOPD officers.

Of those who responded, 86 percent report dissatisfaction with the department. 79 percent were dissatisfied with the promotional process, and 80 percent were dissatisfied with the transfer process.

The survey also showed those NOPD officers with fewer years of experience are more likely to say they don’t plan to retire with NOPD, versus those with more years of experience.

“If we can make our current employees happy, then that will make it a whole lot easier to recruit,” said Donovan Livaccari, an attorney with FOP. “We’ve been warning about manpower issues for over 10 years now, so that part is frustrating.”

Officers also had the chance to leave feedback on the department.

“The promotional process is not fair,” one officer wrote.

“In all the years I have worked for NOPD, I believe the department is at its worst. There is nothing within the department that isn’t broke, this includes equipment, technology and management,” said another.

NOPD began the year with well over 1,000 officers but will end it with around 940.

“Part of the problem that we’ve had in the past is that everybody seems to have their own crime plan, everybody has their own idea of how to fight crime, how to reduce the crime rate,” said Dillard University political analyst Robert Collins. “But we’ve never had all the players sit down and come up with some sort of comprehensive, holistic plan.”

In a statement, an NOPD spokesperson wrote:

“A quick review of the survey provided by local media shows that of the 10 examples of ‘preferred benefits’ deemed very important by officers, only two of those (equipment upgrades and take-home vehicles) are under direct NOPD control. Those are both currently being addressed.

“This report is an illustration of how much work lies ahead for the NOPD, the City, and the Council. Step increases and longevity pay are matters that need to be addressed with the Civil Service Commission. Housing incentives and free or subsidized childcare are also matters that need an ongoing source of funding.

“NOPD again stands ready to work in a constructive manner with anyone to find solutions to the issues of attrition and morale. As this list of officer concerns demonstrates, many of those issues will require the assistance of individuals who want to engage in a constructive manner.”

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