By Rachel Hernandez, Jordan Lippincott| WGNO | Nov. 1, 2023
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Anne Kirkpatrick was sworn in as the new Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued the oath of office to Kirkpatrick during a ceremony at Gallier Hall, making Kirkpatrick NOPD’s first permanent female superintendent.
Dozens of city leaders were in attendance, including members of the New Orleans City Council.
“She’s been very communicative with the council, which is certainly a very positive step. She seems to be someone who really wants to work with the city council,” Council Vice President Helena Moreno said. “So, I’m very encouraged by that.”
Kirkpatrick addressed the crowd, saying she’s grateful for the opportunity, and thanked her family, the mayor, the council and the men and women of the NOPD.
“Whether you are a professional staff member, or you’re an officer, answering calls for service, or you’re a detective, or you’re a person of rank, I want to honor you,” Kirkpatrick said. “This is not about you serving me. This is about me, serving you.”
Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche says he’s optimistic about the future of NOPD under Kirkpatrick’s leadership.
“She’s going to focus on crime. She’s going to focus on recruitment and retention, and she’s going to focus on the consent decree,” Goyeneche said. “So, if you use those as the three legs of a tripod, everything else within the police department will come.”
Kirkpatrick is taking on the role of chief as violent crime decreases, and city officials are hopeful that trend will continue.
“And now the hard work really begins from our end,” Moreno said. “The city council is here to try to help as much as possible.”
So far, Kirkpatrick has launched an investigation into response times and reportedly met with the federal monitor of the consent decree and embraced their recommendations.