The recent news about New Orleans murder rate being down in 2018 to the lowest levels in decades was met with mixed reactions. But no matter how one looks at the number it is good news for the city and its people. This writer believes former Mayor Mitch Landrieu started the city off on a new path to make the improvement possible.
Landrieu was the first Mayor in the past 20 plus years who took the first public step in recognizing the crime problem in New Orleans and then taking steps to address the matter. The Mayor worked to seek improvements to NOPD, pay raises, more officers to be in line with the number of officers needed to police a city the size of New Orleans. The two leaders Landrieu appointed to lead the department did a good job in making progress that would ultimately lead to a reduction in crime and the murder rate.
What the city needs to do now under the leadership of Mayor Cantrell is to not let up and continue the progress made and have NOPD fully staffed with qualified officers and the financial resources to get the job done. 2018 need not be just a one year improvement if Mayor Cantrell keeps crime a top priority.
But make no mistake it was Mitch Landrieu who took the first step in actually recognizing the problem and took action. Landrieu is a true public servant and America and New Orleans needs more political leaders like him.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
