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Tuesday, January 25, 2022 ******************************* For Immediate Release
JP Morrell - Official City Council header
About Yesterday's Meeting: My 3 Takeaways
JP Morrell - 3_Takaways
(Missed yesterday's meeting? Full meeting is available below.)
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It's imperative that all stakeholders of the criminal justice system must share data with each other so that everyone is on the same page. We cannot afford any discrepancies with data reporting. Public safety analyst Jeff Asher provided a detailed presentation of crime trends in the city (which can be found here); and the District Attorney submitted a 7-point plan before the City Council to counter the recent surge in violent crime. DA Williams committed to working with us collaboratively to make more information publicly available including, but not limited to: Clearance rates, bond amounts, and other variables in criminal cases that must be easily accessible for public review.
JP Morrell - Weve_got_a_lot_of_work
Yesterday, we saw the trickle down effects that budgetary cuts can have on a community. In speaking with judges from both Criminal District Court and Juvenile Court (in addition to the District Attorney), the Council learned of several shortcomings in our criminal justice system:

  • There is no digital forensics team in New Orleans. This is an important forensic tool that is currently being outsourced to other parishes.

  • Judges apparently do not have access to the National Crime Information (NCIC) database in pretrial services when setting bonds.

  • The state-of-the-art crime lab being built on Tulane and Broad will not include DNA processing when it opens.

  • The City does not provide enough support to the formerly incarcerated in finding jobs and doesn't support businesses created by returned citizens.
JP Morrell - 3_All_In_Together
After 12+ hours of meeting, several initiatives were outlined by the council. 

  • The judges committed to working with the rest of the Criminal Justice partners to consolidate information regarding bonds (that have already been set, and public records) into an easily accessible database.

  • Organizations such as Voters Organized To Educate (VOTE) and The First 72+ are uniquely positioned to help with mentorship and intervention opportunities within the community.

  • This council reiterated its commitment to use all resources available to attack this spike in violent crime, including intervention and disruption with mentors who have a unique perspective on how to reach them.
Media Contact:
Monet Brignac-Sullivan
Director of Communications
Councilmember-At-Large JP Morrell
(504) 975-2897
JP Morrell - campaign_logo
New Orleans City Council
The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of New Orleans city government. The Council considers and enacts all local laws that govern the City of New Orleans. The Council also approves the operating and capital budgets for the City, as recommended by the mayor, and continually monitors revenues and expenditures for local government operations. The City Council is also the regulatory body for public utilities. It also reviews and has final say on many land use and zoning matters, as well as considers major economic development projects for the City. As a Board of Review for Orleans Parish, the Council examines appeals of property tax assessments for real estate taxes, and certifies tax rolls to the Louisiana Tax Commission. Other responsibilities of the Council include overseeing the operation of the public access television in Orleans Parish. Streaming video and video archives of the City Council's Regular and Committee meetings can be found on the City Council website.

The City Council is comprised of five districts and Councilmembers-at-large: Council President and Councilmember-at-Large Helena Moreno; Council Vice President and Councilmember-At-Large JP Morrell; District "A" Councilmember Joseph I. Giarrusso, III; District "B" Councilmember Lesli D. Harris; District "C" Councilmember Freddie King III; District "D" Councilmember Eugene J. Greene, Jr.; and District "E" Councilmember Oliver M. Thomas, Jr.

New Orleans City Council, City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
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