NOLA FOR LIFE: A Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy

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3/363May 2012 | City of New Orleans Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy

Message from Mayor Landrieu

To my ellow New Orleanians:

It is no secret that, or many decades, New Orleans has had a murderrate that is much higher than the national average. We, like mosturban cities in America, have an epidemic on our hands.

It remains my top priority as Mayor o New Orleans to end the cycleo violence on our streets, and to create a culture that celebrates lie.We can and we must prevent murders.

Ater taking oce in 2010, I invited the U.S. Department o Justiceto partner in the complete transormation o the New Orleans Police

Department. We have invested in prevention working to promotejobs and opportunity, to get involved and rebuild neighborhoods,and improve the NOPD. We have made great progress, but there isstill much more to do.

I have tapped Police Chie Ronal Serpas and Commissioners JamesCarter and Karen DeSalvo to lead the citys comprehensive murderreduction eorts. NOLA FOR LIFE: A Comprehensive MurderReduction Strategylays out the approach my team will take to makeour streets sae.

I want to thank the many community members, law enorcement ocials, social service providers,educators, parents, youth, ederal ocials and national crime experts who have provided us with

much insight and wisdom to tackle this important challenge. I am counting on your continuedcommitment and partnership.

Ending murders in New Orleans will not be easy, but it is a ght we must all be in together. Our cityhas overcome hard challenges beore and I believe the people o New Orleans, with the help o ourpartners, have the power to create sae and healthy neighborhoods where generations to come willfourish.

Sincerely,

Mitchell J. Landrieu,

Mayor, City o New Orleans


4/364 City of New Orleans Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy | May 2012

Table of Contents

Message from Mayor Landrieu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Desired Outcomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy . . 7

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strategic Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Current Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Common Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Current Community-Based Initiatives . . . . . . 9

Phase I: Laying the Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

PHASE I INITIATIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Project Sae Neighborhoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) . . . . . . . . 11Ceasere New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Mayors Strategic Commandto Reduce Murders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Saving Ours Sons: Midnight Basketball . . . . . 12

Protecting Mental Health Services . . . . . . . . . 12

Expand Recreational Opportunities . . . . . . . . 13

Mayors SummerYouth Employment Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Lot Maintenance Pilot Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Fight the Blight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

NOLA or Lie Volunteer Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Lighting up the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Quality O Lie Stat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

NOPD Community Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . 15

NOPD Leadership Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Proactive Hot Spot &Community Policing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Stand up the NOPD Crime Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Bee Up NOPD Homicide Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Project Bloodwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Phase II: Fierce Urgency of Now . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PHASE II INITIATIVES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Operation Full Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Group Violence Reduction Strategy . . . . . . . . 19

Confict Resolution& Targeted Services in Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

School Community Response Program . . . . . 21

Family Violence Prevention Strategy . . . . . . . 22

Saving Our Sons: Mentoring Program . . . . . . 23

Comprehensive Reentry Strategy . . . . . . . . . . 24

Public Awareness Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Community Support orVictims o Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Improve Community Trustwith the Use o Procedural Justice . . . . . . . . . 27

Increase Analytical Capacitywithin the NOPD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Release Public Calls or Service Data . . . . . . . 29

Advocacy to Support Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Plan Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Measuring Outcomes and Impact . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34



Executive Summary

Mayor Mitch Landrieus top priority is to end the cycle o death and violence on the streets o NewOrleans, and to create a culture that celebrates lie. For decades, this problem has held us back. From

1979, the City o New Orleans has had a murder rate that on average was 7 to 8 times higher thanthe national rate.

In 2011, on the streets o New Orleans, 199 individuals lost their lives to murder. This is unacceptableand must be stopped. NOLA For Lie is a comprehensive, holistic approach that seeks to address theproblem o murder on a variety o dierent levels.

This document lays out the citys Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy going orward, whichbuilds upon and expands the work done rom May 2010 to present. The city is committed to takinga public health approach to reducing murders. Our initiatives can be broken down into ve maincategories: Stop the Shooting, Invest in Prevention, Promote Jobs and Opportunity, Get Involved and

Rebuild Neighborhoods and Improve the NOPD.

Mayor Landrieu has tapped Police Chie Ronal Serpas, Criminal Justice Commissioner James Carterand Health Commissioner Dr. Karen DeSalvo to lead this eort on behal o City Hall. It is our missionto have youth and amilies fourishing in sae and healthy neighborhoods, with access to qualityeducational, economic and cultural opportunities that allow them to become sel-reliant, sel-sucient and creative human beings capable o giving back to the world.



Desired Outcomes

STOP THE SHOOTINGS

Focus like a laser on the small percentage of

young men who are killing and being killed. Our

message to them: stop shooting.

PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

VIOLENT CRIME IMPACT TEAMS (VCIT)

CEASEFIRE NEW ORLEANS

OPERATION FULL CIRCLE

GROUP VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGY

INVEST IN PREVENTION

We cannot arrest our way out of this problem.

NOLA For Life puts a heavy focus on helping

our young people build the skills they need to

succeed and be productive citizens.

MAYORS STRATEGIC COMMAND TO REDUCEMURDERS

SAVING OUR SONS: MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL

PROTECTING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

CONFLICT RESOLUTION & TARGETED SERVICES IN

SCHOOLS

SCHOOL COMMUNITY RESPONSE PROGRAM

FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGY

SAVING OUR SONS: MENTORING PROGRAM

PROMOTE JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY

We have to give people a hand up in turning

their lives around. Jobs can go a long way in

providing hope and opportunity.

EXPAND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

MAYORS SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

LOT MAINTENANCE PILOT PROGRAM

COMPREHENSIVE REENTRY STRATEGY

IMPROVE THE NOPD

We launched a comprehensive 65-point plan to

completely remake the police department and

today we are moving full speed ahead.

NOPD LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROACTIVE HOT SPOT & COMMUNITY POLICING

STAND UP NOPD CRIME LAB

BEEF UP NOPD HOMICIDE UNIT

PROJECT BLOODWORK

IMPROVE COMMUNITY TRUST WITH THE USE OFPROCEDURAL JUSTICE

INCREASE ANALYTICAL CAPACITY AT NOPD

RELEASE PUBLIC CALLS FOR SERVICE DATA

GET INVOLVED AND REBUILD

NEIGHBORHOODS

To make New Orleans safe we all need to

do our part, get involved and rebuild our

neighborhoods. We need everyone to have skin

in the game.

FIGHT THE BLIGHT

NOLA FOR LIFE VOLUNTEER DAYS

LIGHT UP THE CITY

QUALITY OF LIFE STAT

NOPD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE



Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy

INTRODUCTION

THE PROBLEM

Over 13,000 Americans are murdered annually. The City o New Orleans has a murder rate ten timesthe national average and much higher than other comparable cities. In 2011, on the streets o NewOrleans, 199 individuals lost their lives as victims o murder.

VISION

Youth and amilies fourishing in sae and

healthy neighborhoods, with access to highquality educational, economic, and culturalopportunities that allow everyone to becomesel-reliant, sel-sucient and creative humanbeings capable o giving back to the world.

MISSION

Work with community and agency partners

to develop and implement a comprehensivestrategy that reduces murders in the City oNew Orleans by employing targeted prevention,intervention, enorcement and rehabilitationinitiatives.

STRATEGIC GOALS

Strategic Goal #1:

Develop, implement and

support multi-disciplinary and

data-driven initiatives that

address the ollowing our

pillars: Prevention, Intervention,

Enorcement and Rehabilitation

The City o New Orleansis ortunate to have manyextraordinary organizationsproviding programs andservices to address the needso its citizens. This plan seeks

to enhance existing initiativesand support the creation andimplementation o new initiativesthat are data-driven and multi-disciplinary, with the goal oreducing murders.

Strategic Goal #2:

Facilitate eective interagency

communication and inormation

sharing

A major barrier to eective policycreation and implementation is alack o inormation sharing acrossagencies and disciplines. Buildingon existing eorts, such as theMayors Strategic Commandto Reduce Murders, the City oNew Orleans will encourage andacilitate continued interagency

collaboration to ensure that allmurder reduction initiatives arewell-inormed, comprehensive,targeted and can be measuredor eectiveness.

Strategic Goal #3:

Promote civic engagement

to support the reduction o

violence amongst young black

males

Murders can be prevented bychanging behavioral norms. TheCity o New Orleans will promotecommunity engagement eortsthat promote the value o allhuman lie, non-violent resolutionto conficts and the investmentin the lives o at-risk young black

males.



CURRENT CHALLENGES

Major challenges identied include:

A lack o trust between law enorcementand the community

Gaps in and a lack o access tosupport services in disadvantagedneighborhoods

The lack o serious consequencesor violent crimes and repeat violentoenders

Ease o availability and use o rearms

A lack o citywide coordination acrossvarious sectors, specically criminal

justice and social services

Very limited inormation sharing andcommunication between educational,health and social services, criminaljustice systems and neighborhoods

COMMON THEMESCommon themes rom criminal justice and community stakeholders on suggested areas to ocusmurder reduction eorts include:

Improve education, job training and jobplacement or young black males

Ensure robust community policing thatbuilds relationships and trust

Ensure availability o targeted, eectivesocial services and prevention programs

Ensure targeted law enorcement ormost violent oenders

Improve policies and practicesconcerning pre-trial services,prosecution and sentencing

Improve reentry services to reduce therecidivism rate

Promote hopes and dreams o at-risk

males



CURRENT COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES

Currently in New Orleans, there are a variety o community-based initiatives aimed at stopping theviolence. Ranging rom mentoring o youth who are at-risk o becoming victims or perpetrators oviolence to prisoner re-entry support services, these activities do a lot o good in the community andneed to be promoted.

Examples o some promising and successul community-based programming:

Long-term residential treatment thatprovides social, academic and sel-help skills or youth with emotional/behavioral problems

Education, tutoring, mentoring, andcareer and social support developmentor youth in and transitioning out ooster care

Culinary and lie skills training programs

Mentoring, small group activities,homework help, tutoring, confictresolution, communication, social skillsdevelopment and day programs oryoung children

Reentry services or ormerlyincarcerated individuals, providingadvocacy training/skill-building, jobtraining, computer literacy and housingassistance

Community reintegration programmingor youths coming out o juveniledetention, which includes: mentoring,literacy, GED tutoring and an aterschool

enrichment program that providesconfict resolution, anger managementand in-house mental health counseling



Phase I: Lay the FoundationIn the rst two years o the Landrieu Administration, we began tolay the oundation or change and transormation across all citygovernment. Fighting crime has always been our top priorityThat is why beore taking oce, we invited the Department o

Justice into our city to help us rebuild the NOPD, but we havenot waited. We launched a comprehensive 65-point plan tocompletely remake the police department, enhanced thehomicide detectives unit, overhauled community-orientedpolicing, improved our crime lab, revamped the Canine Unit and

instituted a robust Project Sae Neighborhood alliance with local and ederal prosecutors.

But law enorcement alone cannot solve our murder problem and we have always taken a broad,holistic approach to get to the root o the problem. Our initiatives can be broken down into ve maincategories that now make up the simple tenets o NOLA or Lie:

Stop the Shootings

Invest in Prevention

Promote Jobs and Opportunity

Get Involved and RebuildNeighborhoods

Improve the NOPD



Phase I Initiatives

STOP THE SHOOTINGS - PHASE I

Focus like a laser on the small percentage ofyoung men who are killing and being killed. Our


PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

VIOLENT CRIME IMPACT TEAMS (VCIT)

CEASEFIRE NEW ORLEANS

Project Sae Neighborhoods

In the summer o 2010, the city along with our ederal partners at the Bureau o Alcohol Tobacco,Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) re-launched Project Sae Neighborhoods. The program dramaticallyramped up city-wide eorts to combat gun violence. This ongoing initiative has made over 500

cases and is a great example o how law enorcement working together seamlessly is helping to stopthe shootings and hold criminals accountable.

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT)

The Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) is another part o the great partnership established withATF. These teams target specic geographic areas that are sometimes no larger than a ew blocks,but have experienced an escalation o violent rearms crime. The goal o the program is to identiyand arrest the most violent oenders. Although this is a national program in nearly 3 dozen cities,ater taking oce Mayor Landrieu recognized the need or additional resources here in New Orleans.As a result o the Mayors advocacy at the highest levels o government, Attorney General Holder

committed 27 additional ATF agents to partner with the NOPD on an intense 120-day strike surge.

Ceasere New Orleans

CeaseFire New Orleans is a program based on the Chicago CeaseFire model that specically aimsto reduce street violence in Central City. During Phase II, this summer the program will expand to St.Roch.

The CeaseFire model uses outreach workers to interrupt potentially violent situations and resolvethem beore they escalate. This is achieved by combining science and street outreach to track whereviolence is heating up and then deploy resources to cool the situation down. CeaseFire New Orleanswill employ a team that includes Violence Interrupters and Outreach Workers who are credible

messengers with street credibility to mediate conficts between groups thereby preventing retaliatoryshootings and killings.

On average, the Chicago CeaseFire model boasts a 40% - 45% reduction in shootings and killings inprogram target areas.



INVEST IN PREVENTION - PHASE I





MAYORS STRATEGIC COMMAND TO REDUCE MURDERS

SAVING OUR SONS: MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL

PROTECTING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Mayors Strategic Command to Reduce Murders

The Mayors Strategic Command to Reduce Murders builds on the Milwaukee Homicide Review Com-mission. This model has been identied by the Department o Justice as a best practice and or Milwaukee has been instrumental in realizing a signicant reduction in murder. The Mayors StrategicCommand to Reduce Murders ocuses on prevention by convening murder reviews with communityleaders and a diverse array o representatives rom the criminal justice system, schools, aith-based

organizations, neighborhood groups and others. The Strategic Command supports implementationand evaluation o recommendations that come rom the murder reviews, maintains a comprehensivedatabase o murders, nonatal shootings, and near-atal domestic violence incidents and providestechnical assistance and capacity-building services to criminal justice and community service proessionals. The end goal is to get ahead o crime, identiy patterns and intervene when possible.

Saving Our Sons Midnight Basketball

SOS NOLA: Saving Our Sons Midnight Basketball withthe New Orleans Hornets is a ree weekly basketbaltournament or males over 18 years old that provides a

sae and constructive space or the young men o NewOrleans to interact and build bonds.

Protecting Mental Health Services

To prevent murder, New Orleans needs a more accessible mental health system. We are ghting torestore cuts and prevent urther reductions in unding. In the meantime, last winter, Mayor Landrieuand the Citys Health Department released a comprehensive Behavioral Health Resource Guideto better link residents to existing resources. The Behavioral Health Resource Guide provides acomprehensive inventory o all mental health and substance abuse services and related resourcesavailable to the citizens o New Orleans. It includes inormation about programs and services oered

in both community and clinic-based settings, delivered by both public and private sector providersand organizations. A revised and updated guide will be released in the summer o 2012.




- PHASE I

We have to give people a hand up in turning their

lives around. Jobs can go a long way in providing

hope and opportunity.

EXPAND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

MAYORS SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

LOT MAINTENANCE PILOT PROGRAM

Expand Recreational Opportunities

To prevent crime, our young people need to have more opportunities to learn, play and grow. Withyour vote we created the NORD Commission. Mayor Landrieu then doubled unding or recreation,committed over $100 million dollars to new parks and playgrounds, cutting the ribbon on newrecreation space across the city. We tripled the number o kids taking part in 29 kiddie camps,opened 12 pools, an addition o 4 new pools and partnered with world class groups like the RedCross to teach our kids how to swim. The Mayor and NORDC also launched the Movies in the Parkprogram or youth and amilies, with over 3,075 residents participating. In addition, NORDC provided

1,000 teenagers with an opportunity to attend Teen Camps or the rst time. These eorts continuein 2012.

Mayors Summer Youth Employment Program

In 2011, The Mayors Summer Youth Employment Program increasedopportunities or summer employment or youth ages 14-21, providingvaluable proessional experience in high-demand industries. MayorLandrieu increased unding rom $1 million in 2010, serving 1,000 youth,to $2.7 million in 2011, serving 2,200 youth. The number o job sitesnearly tripled, rom 50 in 2010 to 148 in 2011.

Lot Maintenance Pilot Program

In October 2011, the city began its innovative Lot Maintenance Pilot Program, which provides jobsto neighborhood residents and ex-oenders to cut and clear overgrown lots in the Lower 9th Ward,the area with the highest percentage o vacant lots in New Orleans.

This eort is about creating pathways to prosperity or local residents particularly ex-oenderswho are looking to re-enter the workorce to work in their own neighborhood and rebuild theircity. This program addresses two top priorities: creating jobs and tackling blight, specically empty,overgrown lots, which are breeding grounds or crime.

To date, they have cut over 1200 lots in the Lower 9th Ward.




NEIGHBORHOODS - PHASE I



neighborhoods. We need everyone to have skinin the game.

FIGHT THE BLIGHT

NOLA FOR LIFE VOLUNTEER DAYS

LIGHT UP THE CITY

QUALITY OF LIFE STAT

NOPD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Fight the Blight

Blight threatens public saety, lowers property values, prevents neighborhood stabilization anddegrades quality o lie. By reducing the number o dangerous, blighted properties, neighborhoodsbecome revitalized, saer places to live. In October 2010, Mayor Landrieu launched a new, aggressiveanti-blight strategy aimed at reducing the number o blighted properties in New Orleans by 10,000in our years. Since then, the Citys Code Enorcement and Hearings Bureau has conducted morethan 28,000 inspections, demolished 2,280 blighted units, moved over 1,000 properties to code lienoreclosure, and collected nearly $2 million in blight liens and nes. In 2012, the city will continueto demolish unsae properties, clear lots and promote homeownership through a revamped $52.3million sot-second program, which will put hundreds o New Orleans amilies into new, oten ormerlyblighted homes.

Plus, Mayor Landrieus ServeNOLA initiative, in partnership with city departments, nonprotorganizations and neighborhood groups will continue to host Fight the Blight cleanup days, whichin the last two years has mobilized 1,250 volunteers in 20 neighborhoods to clean up lots, paint parksand generally, help beautiy our city.

NOLA or Lie Volunteer Days

As an extension o Fight the Blight, in 2012, ServeNOLA will continue to provide opportunities orcitizens to get involved at the neighborhood level in revitalizing communities.

Like Fight the Blight, NOLA or Lie Volunteers Days will engage citizens, city agencies and the NOPDto clean up crime hot spots. Were taking the ght to the street by going to the most dangeroucorners in the city to take a stand against crime. Together, we will pick up trash, x street lights, teadown blight and paint over grati.



Lighting up the City

There are 54,400 street lights in New Orleans. When we took oce, over 16,000 were dark, requiringmajor repairs. Thats about 29%. Since taking oce, weve made over 16,000 repairs. Still, it is anold, Katrina-damaged system and they break as ast as we can x them. Outages occur daily andthousands still need major repairs.

Our solution is to dedicate an additional $8 million in one-time hurricane recovery money to und asurge in repair work so we can get the lights on in every neighborhood by the end o the year. Weregoing rom 3 repair crews to 6 crews, a 5-day work week to a 6-day work week and rom 8 hours perday to 13 hours per day. We wont rest until we get the job done.

Quality O Lie Stat

The Oce o Perormance Management and Accountability has instituted Quality O Lie Stat, thecitys rst perormance management tool or addressing public nuisance and quality o lie issues.These monthly meetings have improved eective and timely responses to quality o lie issues raisedby residents and police ocers in the eld. This accountability eort is new, and critical to ensurethat the city is hitting its marks and rebuilding our communities.

NOPD Community Partnerships

Building on the extensive outreach o NOPD Community Coordinating Sergeants and Quality o Lieocers, the NOPD has rapidly improved visibility o the police department and has provided avenuesor communication and partnership with the community. Actions include, but are not limited to:

Next o Kin Meetings with the amilies omurder victims

Crime Prevention Unit

Public Access to COMSTAT Meetings

Public Crime Mapping Inormation

Citizen Advisory Panels

Monthly Crime Walks

Walk-Throughs at Schools



IMPROVE THE NOPD - PHASE I




NOPD LEADERSHIP TRAINING

PROACTIVE HOT SPOT & COMMUNITY POLICING

STAND UP NOPD CRIME LAB

BEEF UP NOPD HOMICIDE UNIT

PROJECT BLOODWORK

NOPD Leadership Training

In the spring o 2012, the highly respected International Association o Chies o Police Leadershipin Police Organizations (LPO), will train a total o 100 leaders in two separate 3 week sessions. TheNOPD will be investing over $100k in this eort. The city will continue to prioritize the search oradditional training opportunities or its law enorcement leaders.

Proactive Hot Spot & Community Policing

Since November 2001, the NOPD has used Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Trac Saety(DDACTS) to proactively ocus on high-activity crime spots. DDACTS proactive policing is anoperational model that integrates location-based crime and trac crash data to determine the moseective methods or deploying law enorcement resources. In addition, at the start o January 2012the department began to use the companion mapping strategy called Data Driven Violent CrimeTrends (DDVCTS). The NOPD will re-deploy its vehicles to decrease the occurrence o violent crimein the identied hot spots by increasing police presence in high-crime areas. This data-drivenproactive approach will allow ocers to concentrate on suspicious activities and high-risk oendersand will have a deterrent eect in high-crime areas. This activity is intended to go beyond simplyarresting violators, but broadly seeks to promote a sense o order in identied areas, and requires a

solid partnership between police and the community.

Stand up the NOPD Crime Lab

The U.S. Department o Justice Bureau o Justice Assistance noted in its March 2011 report thatno eective homicide reduction program can be successul without a modern, unctioning crimelaboratory. By the end o 2011, the NOPD, with assistance rom the ATF, eliminated a multi-yearbacklog o rearms testing and is now using the Crime Lab in real time. The NOPD, in partnershipwith the Louisiana State Police, has also eliminated a multi-year backlog o over 800 sexual assaultkits. Funded by the Department o Justice, these advances are producing better investigations andwill enhance murder reduction eorts in 2012 and beyond.

Bee Up NOPD Homicide UnitThe new NOPD has ollowed the Department o Justices recommendations and beeed up andreormed the NOPD Homicide Unit going rom 16 to 32 detectives, so, immediately ollowing a murderevent the area is fooded with both homicide and narcotics ocers. The results are more tips romthe public and better investigations.



Project Bloodwork

The NOPD began Project Bloodwork in December 2011. Project Bloodwork is an initiative to perormorensic analysis o blood evidence collected rom the years 2005 to 2011 rom the scenes o burglary-related oenses in Orleans Parish. This analysis will enable the NOPD to successully identiy anyDNA proles present. To assist in this endeavor, the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory (LSPCL)agreed at the inception o this project to analyze blood evidence at a rate o ve (5) new cases everytwo (2) weeks.



Phase II: Fierce Urgency of NowAter examining current initiatives, engaging stakeholders to identiy issues that contribute to ourmurder epidemic, and researching and developing best practice strategies, the city is prepared toexecute a laser-ocused murder reduction strategy that builds on the solid oundation laid in the lasttwo years. Mayor Landrieu has appointed Police Chie Ronal Serpas, Criminal Justice Commissione

James Carter and Health Commissioner Dr. Karen DeSalvo to lead this eort on behal o City Hall.

In this phase o our eorts, we will partner with the ederal government to ensure that the criminajustice system has the necessary resources to hold violent criminals accountable. There will also begreater emphasis on urther improving the NOPD. To ensure the strategic plan and individual initiativesare having the desired impact, outcome measures will be established prior to implementation andevaluated routinely, allowing the city to adjust the plan, i needed.

STOP THE SHOOTINGS - PHASE II

Focus like a laser on the small percentage of

young men who are killing and being killed. Our


OPERATION FULL CIRCLE

GROUP VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGY

Operation Full Circle

In Operation Full Circle, the Mayor proposes creating a strike/surge team o ederal law

enorcement specialists and ederal prosecutors to come to New Orleans on detail romtheir agencies or 6 months to build cases, indict and prosecute violent gang and druglords. Federal consent decree negotiations are well underway. While the hard work otransorming the NOPD goes on, there remain immediate and pressing enorcement needson the ground.

New Orleans needs a short-term, surge o ederal enorcement support to remove violentthreats and allow communities the saety to rebuild. Federal conspiracy investigationshave proven to be an extremely eective tool to target violent street gangs. These eortswill be linked to, and will provide credibility or the stop it message o the citys ocuseddeterrence approach to violent groups and individuals.

Objective:

To ensure that eective, innovative policing and intelligence strategies are employed to reducemurders on the streets o New Orleans, while allocating new resources provided by ederal partners

Outcome Measure:

Development o a ederal-local partnership that adds capacity to the New Orleans PoliceDepartment and the Orleans Parish District Attorney, in order to reduce the prevalence o violentcrime and murder



Perormance Indicators Include:

Number o additional law enorcement agents provided by the DEA, ATF and FBI, and theirunctionality (e.g. investigation, prosecution, etc.)

Number o violent crime incidents during the six months

Documentation o the local-ederal partnership and coordination

Group Violence Reduction Strategy

Group Violence Reduction Strategy is an approach designed by criminologist DavidKennedy that applies concentrated enorcement within areas o high crime on the groupso individuals that commit violent acts. It is a strategy that is based on the belie thatcrimes can be prevented when the costs o committing the crime are perceived by theoender to outweigh the benets. It targets youth at risk o becoming victims o violenceas well as violent adult and juvenile oenders who are known chronic oenders. The cityseort will include three major components:

Collaborating with respected members o the aected communities to deliver asingle message: the violence must stop

Organizing and building the capacity o social service providers, clergy and probationand parole ocers so that they can provide support and services to those that nolonger wish to engage in violent liestyles

A ocused law enorcement eort intended to deter violent behavior and ensureconsequences or those who continue to commit violence

The typical impact o the Group Violence Reduction Strategy is a 35% - 60% reduction incommunity-wide homicides.

Objective:

Assemble law enorcement, service providers and community members to deliver a strongmessage to stop the violence, the administration o swit and targeted enorcement or thosewho continue violence and the availability to access critical social services

Outcome Measure:

Change in the criminal behavior o the targeted population and their access to social services

Perormance Indicators Include:Number o violent crime incidents among the targeted population

Number o core violent groups dismantled or seriously inhibited

Critical services available to the targeted population



INVEST IN PREVENTION - PHASE II





CONFLICT RESOLUTION & TARGETED SERVICES INSCHOOLS

SCHOOL COMMUNITY RESPONSE PROGRAM

FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGY

SAVING OUR SONS: MENTORING PROGRAM

Confict Resolution & Targeted Services in Schools

The City o New Orleans and local school systems will provide and develop a servicemodel (learning, behavioral and amily) designed to support students at highest riskor violent outcomes that will address confict resolution skills and decrease at-risk

behaviors. The city and the local school systems will work together to dene theappropriate risk actors, and to identiy students who are at the highest risk or beinginvolved in a shooting or a killing. In order to ensure that there is appropriate capacityto support students at-risk or violent outcomes, the city will secure commitments romservice providers and provide resources i possible, to build their capacity.

Objective:

To identiy and provide intervention support to 200 students at highest risk or violent outcomes inlocal school systems, by promoting implementation o high-quality violence-prevention strategiesthat develop confict resolution skills and decrease at-risk behaviors

Outcome Measure:

Development and implementation o high-quality intervention strategies that address confictresolution skills training and decrease at-risk behaviors or identied students in local schoolsystems


Number o identied students at highest risk or violent outcomes reerred to targeted violenceprevention and intervention programming

Number o appropriately identied individuals reerred to community-based services



School Community Response Program

It is always tragic when youth are victims o violence, and the trauma rom exposure toviolence ollows young people to their schools and classrooms. The City o New Orleanswill partner with the local school systems to assess and develop crisis and trauma response

plans. The purpose o these plans is to develop a coordinated response to violent incidentsand homicides, in order to give students healthier ways to respond in the atermath ostudent-involved shootings both on and o campus. Further, in order to build on existingviolence prevention and intervention programming or students, service capacity gapswill be evaluated and addressed. The plan elements can include, but are not limited to theollowing:

Identication o team members and specic crisis/trauma team unctions

A communication plan

Crisis/Trauma response protocols

Evacuation and lock down plans

Specied crisis/trauma response policies

Objective:

To partner with schools and develop a plan that expand service capacity and provides a well-crated means to coordinate schools crisis/trauma response to violent crimes involving students

Outcome Measure:

Development and activation o a school crisis/trauma response plan that coordinates with the citysresponse to violent crime involving students and the expansion o available service capacity


Documentation o completion and implementation o the plan

Documentation that plan is activated each time there is a student-involved violent incident

Number o reerrals and services provided to students

Assessment o the capacity o behavioral health resources in New Orleans schools



Family Violence Prevention Strategy

The Health Department seeks to identiy and prevent domestic violence through additionalscreening o people receiving support rom city programs or other service providers. Thisprocess was recently implemented in the Citys Healthy Start Program, which specically

ocuses on inant and maternal health. According to the National Coalition againstDomestic Violence (NCADV), up to 20% o women who are pregnant experience violenceduring pregnancy. Further, murder is the second leading cause o death or pregnantwomen in the United States. It is the goal o the Health Department to develop a long-term strategy to address amily and community-centered trauma and violence, which willinclude teaching both methods to resolve intra-amily confict and methods to impartcoping skills and resilience.

Objective:

Enhance the ability o intake sta to recognize amily violence and increase the requency withwhich at-risk amilies are connected to eective amily violence assistance

Outcome Measure:

Assessment o amily welare and implementation o methods to resolve intra-amily confict andimpart coping skills and resilience


Number o employees who receive screening training, booster trainings and training in childdevelopment

Number o individuals who are administered the child welare and amily violence prompt duringintake at each WIC and HealthyStart clinic

Number o individuals who are reerred or amily violence assistance or programs

Capacity to oer parenting skills training and intra-amily confict resolution training (with gapsidentied)



Saving Our Sons: Mentoring Program

The Saving Our Sons: Mentoring Program will work with existing community organizationsto provide healthy mentorship relationships or 100 young males in New Orleans at risko exposure to or involvement in violence. The mentoring program builds on SOS NOLA:

Saving Our Sons, a public engagement campaign which was launched by Mayor Landrieuin September 2011 and calls on the entire community to invest in the lives o our youngmen, to prevent liestyles o violence.

Objective:

Clearly identiy 100 young males at risk o exposure to or involvement in violence, recruit and trainmentor groups (e.g. churches) specically or their needs and urther dene our relationship withpartner organizations to ensure delivery o wraparound support services or mentees.

Outcome Measure:

Evidence-based curriculum and training program that reaches the target population over asustained period o time


Number o at-risk youths and mentors/mentor groups involved in the program

Number o contacts between youth and mentors, and the activities involved during those contacts




- PHASE II

We have to give people a hand up in turning their

lives around. Jobs can go a long way in providing

hope and opportunity.

COMPREHENSIVE REENTRY STRATEGY

Comprehensive Reentry Strategy

Approximately 6,500 oenders are under probation or parole supervision in New Orleansand an estimated two-thirds o this population will commit new crimes and one-third willbe re-incarcerated within three years o their release, oten due to a lack o employmentand support. Working with partners, the City o New Orleans will develop a comprehensivereentry strategy to reduce the recidivism rate in Orleans Parish.

Through ormalized partnerships between key city departments, the criminal justicesystem, business, civic and aith-based communities, the city seeks to:

Develop a reentry strategy with a pilot or reentry employment or at least 125 adultex-oenders and adjudicated youth by 2013

Streamline the social service and employment pipeline or ex-oenders transitioningout o incarceration

Support improved job retention through increased collaborations and long-termplanning

Provide increased access to transitional and permanent supportive housing

Provide increased access to behavioral health services

Objective:

To acilitate a strategic plan or providing coordinated and eective reentry employment services,link stakeholders to opportunities and leverage resources to support the successul reentry o ex-oenders returning to our community rom incarceration, thereby reducing recidivism

Outcome Measure:

A strategic plan or reentry that is holistic in nature and has buy-in rom the appropriatestakeholders


Documentation o the development process

Documentation o the participation o appropriate stakeholders

Number o participating ormerly incarcerated individuals and the services they receive

Rate o re-arrest and re-incarceration or ormerly incarcerated individuals who participate inreentry programming




NEIGHBORHOODS - PHASE II



neighborhoods. We need everyone to have skinin the game.

PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE

Public Awareness Campaign

We know murder doesnt just aect the victims and perpetrators. All o New Orleanssuers as a result. News stories and everyday conversations recount the rustratingchallenge we have on our hands - we are at risk o losing an entire generation o young

black men. The public awareness campaign will be part o a larger coordinated eortto communicate with all parts o the community about the ways to change acceptedbehavioral norms around how we, particularly young black males, respond to confict andviolence.

Objective:

Bring attention to the New Orleans murder epidemic, speak to the great potential o our youngblack men and serve as a catalyst to begin a local and national dialogue to change perceptions andattitudes

Outcome Measure:

Change in dialogue and norms surrounding murder, and awareness o the problem outside the at-risk neighborhoods


Awareness o the campaign among residents both inside and outside the at-risk population

Number o residents who participate in events, and the narrative they create

Updated website or the campaign that is publicized, easy to use and continuously maintained



Community Support or Victims o Violence

The Health Department seeks to work with behavioral health community partners toensure community access to support those who have experienced violent trauma. Thiscollaborative process will increase and und evidence-based, trauma interventions, such as

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills or Psychological Recovery (SPR). Most researchnow shows that resilience is the result o individuals having an environment that eitherpromote well-being or protects them against urther exposure to violence or disaster andnegative social environments.

Objective:

Increase the number o trained proessionals with the capability to implement evidence-basedcounseling models in response to community-wide needs ater exposure to violent crime

Outcome Measure:

Change in the number o trained proessionals and nonproessionals


Number o trained behavioral health proessionals, and their credentials

Number o Psychological First Aid trainings or non-proessionals

Number o Skills or Psychological Recovery trainings

Unmet need o individuals seeking counseling in response to a violent crime



IMPROVE THE NOPD - PHASE II




IMPROVE COMMUNITY TRUST WITH THE USE OFPROCEDURAL JUSTICE

INCREASE ANALYTICAL CAPACITY AT NOPD

RELEASE PUBLIC CALLS FOR SERVICE DATA

Improve Community Trust with the Use o Procedural Justice

For too long, a ew corrupt cops have caused our community much pain and agony. Today,as we chart a path orward with a new NOPD, we have strong allies in the hundreds ohonest cops who as kids dreamed o being police ocers so that they could protect and

serve.

Building on negotiations rom the consent decree, procedural justice provides a rameworkor law enorcement agencies to emphasize the importance o airness during police-citizen interactions, requires training that emphasizes impartiality in policing and avoidsbiased enorcement against vulnerable groups (e.g. racial and ethnic minorities, theunderprivileged, mentally ill and disabled).

This orm o policing is seen as compatible with many o the strategies already implementedin the NOPDs community policing model. In the old NOPD there was little accountabilityand limited oversight. In the new NOPD we insist on total, complete transparency.

Objective:

Enhance public satisaction with the police department by providing procedurally air, directinteractions with the police including the audit and public sharing o the perormance o ocersmaking street stops and the implementation o a police ocer training program

Outcome Measure:

Transparency within NOPD, particularly around interactions with the police during street stops


Implementation o internal perormance measures that reward procedural airness

Number o complaints about ocers led with the NOPD Public Integrity Bureau, number oNOPD integrity checks, number o cases requiring disciplinary action, and number o police reportsreviewed by the Oce o the Superintendent o Police

Number o hours o training under this initiative, and number o ocers who participate

Number o training hours and number o ocers who participate

Percent o crimes reported to the police

Overall public satisaction with the Police Department



Increase Analytical Capacity within the NOPD

The NOPD has integrated the use o complex data systems into its problem-orientedpolicing strategy. In order to benet rom this expanded data collection capacity, the NOPDmust ensure that its crime analysts are properly incorporated into the police environment

and that their analytical work is ully integrated into departmental operations. The NOPDwill hire specialized criminal justice analysts who will download and help interpret newinormation in a timely manner. Additionally, analysts could act as the primary technicalliaisons or Federal, contract, and local personnel concerning data-related issues. Thisoundation provides or the core unctions o the analysis unit to be preserved at the sametime as its ability is enhanced to serve problem-oriented policing.

Objective:

Enhance the ability and core unctions o the crime analysis unit to serve problem-oriented policing

Outcome Measure:

Capacity o the crime analysis unit to serve problem-oriented policing, and a plan or on-goingproessional development and training


Number o crime analysts hired, their technical capabilities, and their unction/level

Development o an on-going proessional development and training plan

Measurement o the crime analysis units integration into departmental operations



Release Public Calls or Service Data

NOPD calls or service will be made available to citizens as raw data that will allowindividuals and groups to examine and analyze police movement and interactionthroughout the city, in response to 911 calls. The existing City o New Orleans Open Data

Portal, data.nola.gov, has enhanced open government, transparency and accountabilityby improving public access to data. This new ease o access to NOPD calls orservice data can lead to a change in how residents understand and interact with lawenorcement response, resulting in both social and budgetary benets or the NOPD. Thesocial benets will include increased public access to inormation about the service callsand the budgetary benets will include the reduction o sta time dedicated to llingpublic inormation requests.

Objective:

Increased public access to calls or service inormation will generate goodwill in the community,improved transparency and a reduced burden on NOPD public records sta, evidenced by adecreased amount o time spent ullling public records requests

Outcome Measure:

Easily accessible public site where calls or service are published on a consistent basis


All calls or service available publicly



Advocacy to Support Initiatives

While the City o New Orleans is ully committed to the execution o a robust eort to reduce mur-ders, we recognize that we are only one part o a large system where our partners have clear rolesand responsibilities in this ght. We will continue to engage all our partners, rom law enorcement

to courts to schools, to come up with innovative ways to meet specic challenges and enact largesystemic reorms that will aid in the ght to reduce murders and address the issues that contrib-ute to this epidemic. In order to successully implement the aorementioned initiatives and overallgoals, the city plans to advocate or:

Local school systems to develop a plan to signifcantly reduce the high dropout rate oArican-American males

Implementation o a Health Inormation Exchange System that connects the jail andcommunity providers

Immediately increased needs-based access to behavioral health services or thoseindividuals with mental health/substance abuse needs

Increased community access to behavioral health services, including coordination o socialservices

Immediate needs-based access to the Louisiana Coordinated System o Care (CSoC) oridentifed juveniles

Restoration o the behavioral health crisis continuum

Legislation that prohibits installment payments or commercial surety bonds

Vigorous prosecution and sentencing o those who commit violent crimes

Increased bail amounts or illegal gun possession

Reorm o sentencing guidelines via the Louisiana Sentencing Commission

Creation o a database that provides murder and other violent crime case dispositioninormation

Reorm and/or expansion o the specialized courts, including the sustainability o the Drugand Mental Health Court Services (Diversion)

Increase in the number o Probation/Parole Ofcers



Plan Development

The Mayors Innovation Delivery Team, in collaboration with Chie Ronal Serpas, CommissionerJames Carter and Commissioner Dr. Karen DeSalvo, led a series o ocused steps to develop thisstrategy. These included engagement o key national and local crime experts, community service

providers, law enorcement and youth, as well as rigorous data analysis. One o the rst steps takenwas to analyze the homicide data in order to ully understand the magnitude o the challenge, notonly locally, but both nationally and internationally. This was important to ensure a clear grasp omurder trends. Peer city perormance was also evaluated, while still accounting or the uniquenesso each city.

Once the most important contributing issues had been prioritized, the Mayors InnovationDelivery Team identied and narrowed impact-driven initiatives; ocusing on what is closest tothe administrations core objectives and what could be undertaken with existing resources andcompetencies. The Innovation Delivery Team then examined current initiatives and activities aimedat the issue and already under way in the city, their resource allocation and whether or not they aredriving perormance to meet the challenge.

All these steps allowed or the development o eective solutions by way o new initiativedevelopment, while engaging essential stakeholders in the process. In summary, promising initiativeswere generated by: reviewing existing city initiatives, borrowing successul initiatives rom otherplaces, discussing review ndings with stakeholders to generate ideas and utilizing external expertsto generate a short list o additional concepts. This process allowed or the translation o broad ideasinto the list o promising initiatives discussed in this document. The process also ensured that theinitiatives will address the priority issues, ensure required actions are being undertaken, and that thedepartments/persons involved in the execution o the initiatives have a clear understanding o whatneeds to be done. These exercises have produced a strategy that illustrates how the initiatives relateto the stated challenge o reducing murders, essentially providing a core vision o what will be.



Measuring Outcomes and Impact

A preliminary set o perormance outcomes or NOLA FOR LIFE: A Comprehensive Murder Reduc-tion Strategy has been established, and will be used to measure progress toward murder reductionand the Citys strategic goals. As this is an ongoing process, there may be a need to review and

amend measures, with consultation with partners. As the plan is implemented and rened, addi-tional output and outcome measures will be developed to measure the eectiveness o individualinitiatives. It is important to note that this plan emphasizes the use o evidence-based strategiesand programming throughout the implementation process, with decisions inormed by the abilityto demonstrate success.

The Innovation Delivery Team is a component o the Mayors Project at Bloomberg Philanthropies.Thanks in large part to a grant by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the City o New Orleans has a team otop perormers to bring rigorous ocus and best-in-class practices to identiy and deliver powerulsolutions to major urban challenges. The City o New Orleans Innovation Delivery Team is assignedspecically to assist lead departments within City Hall in developing innovative strategies thatreduce murder holistically. This team will enable better research and selection o murder reduction

initiatives, and support or implementation, perormance evaluation and reporting.

The strategic plan as a whole is expected to provide the ollowing outcomes:

Sustained reductions in youth violence,as evidenced by a decrease in violentcrime, including murders and non-atalshootings;

More positive opportunities or youthand amilies, as evidenced by increasednumbers o youths involved in school-

based and community violencereduction programming;

Improved quality o lie community-wide,as evidenced by increased enorcementaround nuisance and petty crime andan eventual decreased need or suchenorcement;

Stronger amilies and communities,as evidenced by an increase inpositive development opportunities,including employment and mentoring

programming;

Expanded ownership o the issue oviolence reduction throughout thecommunity, as evidenced by increasedprivate and public sector investment inprevention and rehabilitation;

Improved relationships betweenlaw enorcement agencies and the

community, as evidenced by increasedtrust and condence in law enorcementinstitutions; and

Increased perceptions o saety in theCity o New Orleans, as evidenced bydecreased ear o violent crime andvictimization.

To measure the output and outcomes o the individual initiatives in this plan, data collection pro-cedures will be developed in collaboration with initiative partners. The evaluation o the individualinitiatives will need to answer the ollowing questions:

Who are the participants/targetpopulation? Is the initiative targeting theappropriate group?

What are the types, and level, o servicesand activities delivered by the program?

Did the initiative produce any positive ornegative unintended consequences?



Does the initiative produce benets thatoutweigh the costs, and is there a morecost eective way to produce the samebenets?

What impact will the initiative have onits intended outcome?



Acknowledgements

Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Project

The City o New Orleans is one o ve cities to receive an Innovation Delivery Team grant romBloomberg Philanthropies. Part o Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Project, Innovation DeliveryTeam grants were also awarded to Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Louisville, KY, and Memphis, TN. Throughthese investments, Bloomberg Philanthropies seeks to both support grantee cities to achieve impacas well as establish a model that can be used by mayors anywhere to develop and drive innovationover time. The Mayors Project spreads eective programs and strategies between cities. Other May-ors Project investments include Cities o Service and Financial Empowerment Centers.

Strong Cities Strong Communities (SC2)

The Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative is a customized pilot program created by theObama Administration to strengthen local capacity and spark economic growth in local communi-ties. New Orleans is one o just six cities chosen or the pilot program this year, which provides theCity with interagency coordination and expertise rom the ederal government.


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