New Orleans to Add 300 Take-Home Patrol Cars

The City of New Orleans, La., is investing heavily in public safety for 2017, including 300 new take-home cars, a mobile booking unit, and additional K9 units.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced a number of public safety initiatives in an effort to increase security in areas that are vulnerable to terrorist-like incidents, according to a statement. The city and state's investments will cost nearly $40 million.

Major investments in the police fleet include 300 new take-home cars to improve visibility for New Orleans Police Department patrol officers who reside in Orleans Parish, use of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office's mobile booking unit to keep officers on the streets, and additional K9 units with gun- and bomb-sniffing potential.

The city increased its police budget for 2017. Additional measures through the plan include over 200 high-definition security cameras and signage in 20 hotspots, 100 license plate readers, a 24/7 real-time command center, remote sensing technology on Bourbon Street to assist officers in illegal possession of a firearm detection, hardening street infrastructure, and brighter LED lighting in the French Quarter.

The project will be funded $16 million from various city sources and $23 million from the state-owned Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. According to the city, NOPD saw a 60% reduction in police response times and a double-digit reduction in armed robberies in 2016. 

Click here to read the citywide plan.