On December 18, 2017 the NOPD launched the largest Recruit Class in over a decade at the revamped NOPD Academy on Paris Avenue. The class represents the fruition of a lengthy overhaul of the hiring process by the NOPD, Civil Service, and the NOPJF, including a new Civil Service exam rolled out in April, a state-of-the-art Academy renovation completed in September, and a nationwide, data-driven advertising campaign that has brought in over 7,000 applications this year for the NOPD.
Working hand-in-hand with the NOPD’s new Recruiting Director, hired in in August, the NOPJF has streamlined the hiring process, built additional capacity into the NOPD’s background unit, adopted cutting-edge software to make background investigations paperless, procured a Recruiting Command center that will open in January of 2018, and built a pipeline of candidates that will allow NOPD to fully hire for the next two Academy classes in the first six months of 2018. At a time when departments nationwide are struggling to meet hiring goals, the New Orleans Police Department is, once again, a national leader in adopting cutting-edge technology and best practices that lead the field.
Coupled with groundbreaking pay plan reform, the NOPJF anticipates a double-digit net gain in Officers that will bring NOPD manpower over 1,200 for the first time since 2009 (including the 40 members of Class 182). The NOPJF thanks our steadfast supporters who have made this success possible and commends our partners at the NOPD, the Mayor’s Office, and New Orleans Civil Service for our shared success. This achievement demonstrates, once again, the viability of public-private partnerships in cooperative problem solving for complex challenges. We look forward to continued close collaboration that makes New Orleans a safer place to live, work, and visit.
