PRESS RELEASE: MARCH 6, 2024
A report released today by the Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) documents how the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s (DA’s) Office undermined the work of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and public safety during the first two years of DA Jason Williams’ administration.
The felony arrest to conviction analysis applied in this report provides a shared metric to evaluate the performance of police and prosecutors.
In 2021 and 2022, the NOPD focused on arresting violent felony offenders amidst spiking violent crime and a shrinking police force. In response, the DA’s Office under Jason Williams refused to prosecute or dismissed over half of the felony cases resolved in the first two years of his administration.
Major violent crime surged 69% from 937 incidents in 2019 to 1,582 incidents in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, police made a total of 4,294 violent felony arrests while charges from 2,941 violent felony arrests were refused or dismissed under DA Williams.
“We saw crime accelerate in 2021 and 2022 as the new DA was implementing new policies that benefitted offenders to the detriment of public safety,” said MCC President Rafael Goyeneche. “An arrest does not mean that an offender has been held accountable.”
The rate of felony arrests ending in felony convictions fell from 44% in 2019 under prior DA Leon Cannizzaro to 20% in 2022 under DA Williams. There was a lower felony conviction rate for every major category of crime under DA Williams in the first two years of his administration.
“Felony offenders are not deterred from continuing to victimize the citizenry when there are little to no consequences for felony violations of the law,” said Goyeneche. “Public safety is compromised when victims and witnesses become unwilling to come forward because they see there is a low likelihood of conviction.”
Although outcomes of felony arrests within the first two years of DA Williams’ administration present great cause for concern, the DA’s Office has begun modifying some of the policies that led to the significant decline in felony convictions, which offers promise for gradual if not significant improvements in public safety in future years.
Go to metrocrime.org to view the full report.