Ferguson and other cops were assigned to a task force which proactively sought out criminals instead of waiting for 911 calls. During his tenure, he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Southern University of New Orleans and also received a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. Over this last year, the city has seen serious reductions in crime, such as aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, business and residential burglaries and non-fatal shootings. Those leadership attributes may have won the notice of then-Superintendent Ronal Serpas, who named Ferguson as commander of the 4th District in 2014 to replace a captain who had been sidelined amid an internal investigation. After a long, painful recovery, Barnes survived. So he has been the chief during the most troubling and trying times in the history of the city of New Orleans, Goyeneche said. As New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson reflected on his impending retirement while denying he was shoved out, a chorus rose Wednesday for Mayor LaToya Cantrell to look far and wide for a new chief. As the number of officers started to go down, we saw a violent crime surge in the city - up 136% over the last three years. He said Monday he was raised in the Lower 9th Ward before moving to Algiers. Ferguson, 46, first applied to join the NOPD in 1995, when the city had just seen its highest-ever murder count. Noel and Ferguson worked together in the 2nd District when Noel was the commander there. Superintendent Woodfork is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Organization of Police. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Jan. 14 announced the 46-year-old Ferguson as her choice to replace former chief Michael Harrison, who has taken a job as police commissioner in Baltimore. Ferguson, 46, who had been seen as a rising star in NOPD by some observers, has served as a district commander at NOPD since 2014. First Emanuel's pastor, the Rev. "I also want to thank the citizens of this great city for their kind words and support during my tenure. Over this last year, the city has seen serious reductions in crime, such as aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, business and residential burglaries and non-fatal shootings. Civic leaders push for national search for new NOPD chief, Shaun Ferguson says the decision to retire was his alone, BY JOHN SIMERMAN AND MATT SLEDGE | Staff writers, Mayor LaToya Cantrell gives State of the City address: 'Tired of fightingready to build'. NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO) Former New Orleans Police Department Supt. Ferguson, along with NOPD 4th District Commander Ceasar Ruffin, appeared alongside Cantrell in August to speak at a peace rally in Eleanor McMain Secondarys gym, to honor slain 15-year-old Chance Smith, a freshman at the school, who was fatally shot by another teen in Algiers on Aug. 18. City Council Vice President J.P. Morrell called for Fergusons resignation last week as the council worked to approve the citys $1.5 billion budget, of which, $25 million would go towards a police recruitment and retention incentive package. From a nearly 50-year low in homicides in 2019, shootings and murders have surged across the city. According to Ferguson, he has no plans after retirement and will remain in the city to see what God has to offer him. Wed be foolish not to at least look and see what we got.. Emily Lane, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, named the citys new police superintendent, Who is Jonette Williams? New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson will take his final walk Thursday as acting police chief for the NOPD. Algiers was a tough place to be a cop as Ferguson was moving up the ranks, and developing relationships with the community while remaining tough on criminals was a daily battle. Sitting in his new corner office on the top floor of police headquarters, Ferguson smiled when he was asked about his favorite moments from that first tour of duty. It was a department in shambles, sullied by terrible crime statistics and violence coming from inside the department itself. Who is Shaun Ferguson, NOPDs next police chief? I did not ever imagine myself on the other side of the desk as the commanding officer, he said. HE SAYS DESPITE RECENT CRITICISM AND POLITICAL PRESSURE, HE CHOSE TO RETIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. Walker Marching Band for playing the National Anthem at Gallier Hall on St. Charles Ave. Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Amid mounting pressure, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson will retire from his position at the end of this year, according to a statement from Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Ferguson said he first met Cantrell as a lieutenant in the 2nd District, where he served from 2012 to 2014. Neither is guaranteed in a city that has seen progress in its police force evaporate before. NOLA 311is New Orleans primary source of local government information and non-emergency services. I just hope he stays prayed up and does the right thing, she said. NOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHY HE ADDRESSED THAT EARLIER TODAY. We just stayed together. He emphasized that he was not forced out and that he spoke about retiring to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell before Thanksgiving and even weighed his retirement during the budget hearings. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams criticized inconsistencies in NOPDs data and the FBIs data for arrests and solve rates. THIS IS MY DECISION. Your steadfastness in the face of these challenges and tragedies certainly has been a source of comfort to your fellow officers, affected families and victims and our community overall. Its time to sit back, look at what I have done, Ferguson said. We need a new Chief., Superintendent Ferguson faced significant challenges over the past several years, and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication to the people of our City. Ferguson served with the department for 23 years, with three of those years in the top position of the department. THE OUTGOING SUPERINTENDENT DISAGREES. A 20-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department is an unconventional contender for the role of top cop not only because of who she isa, Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. We would go and take our showers there, he said. In a lengthy interview detailing his career, Ferguson said he was accepted into the police academy, but after talking with his parents, he backed out. In August 2015, during jury selection for veteran 4th District Officer Michael Thomassies trial on allegations of raping a 7-year-old girl, Thomassie received a pair of text messages from Ferguson. Before this, he commanded NOPDs Fourth District from 2014 to 2016. Cantrell made no mention of a pick as she delivered her State of the City address Wednesday evening. He said that the data was not an indictment against officers who work for the NOPD and expressed his appreciation for the officers in the department.Ferguson called the back and forth between him and the DAs office unwarranted, and was firm in his message of the challenges the NOPD faced in regard to violent crime. I will still be your neighbor and I will always be a part of this city that I love so much.". On Election Day (Nov. 8), New Orleans voters approved a Home Rule Charter change that gives the City Council power to confirm or deny mayoral appointees. She served 12 years as a Detective and later as a Sergeant in the department's Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit. The 2nd District comprises the Carrollton, Freret, Leonidas neighborhoods and Uptown, all within Cantrells former council district. It was an overwhelming feeling, but Ill never forget it.. Shaun Ferguson says the average response time currently sits at 11 minutes, but with the help of civilians, the department can reduce that time. In that role, she was tasked with overseeing the department's Management Services Bureau.Williams would make history as the first woman to ever become superintendent of the department. NOPD superintendent Shaun Ferguson is lashing out at a cop who quit mid-shift last Friday, but that cop isn't alone. Ferguson said his decision to retire was an emotional one. MondayFriday Still, for the remainder of the month the mayor has the authority to pick her own police chief without running the choice by the council. If Ferguson had been a regular patrolman, he would have been suspended for a couple of days. Since then, the city has faced countless challenges the Hard Rock Hotel collapse, two major hurricanes, a global pandemic, global inflation and a nationwide shortage of public safety personnel that New Orleans was certainly not immune to. woman accused of using aunts debit card for 136 DoorDash orders held on preset $18 million bond, Newly installed Methodist bishop makes Louisiana history, called for Fergusons resignation last week, voters approved a Home Rule Charter change. Williams would make history as the first woman to ever become superintendent of the department. Should Ferguson continue to work as a police officer in some capacity, he could keep contributing to his state retirement package. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Since then, the city has faced countless challenges the Hard Rock Hotel collapse, two major hurricanes, a global pandemic, global inflation and a nationwide shortage of public safety personnel that New Orleans was certainly not immune to. THERES A LEVEL RESPECT THAT WAS GIVEN BACK TO THOSE OFFICERS THAT ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND THAT WASNT THERE BEFORE. Earlier this week, Supt. Shaun Ferguson named new NOPD chief by Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Williams would become the first woman to serve as New Orleans top law enforcement officer and the first Black female NOPD superintendent. "Copyright 2023 The City of New Orleans"|Report Fraud|Site Policies & Information. Landry-O.P. Through a spokesman, Ferguson called the misstatement a typo, adding that he meant to refer to a different metric that did in fact decline according to internal department records. Growing library of dashboards tracking City dat and initiatives. They've been 100 percent, anything I needed, anything I wanted, Barnes said. It was during this period, on March 28, 2001, that Barnes was shot in the Fischer complex. It appears the Mayor might appoint his replacement immediately, in order to avoid the January 1st City Charter change that gives the City Council approval powers. In 2012, Woodfork was selected by former Superintendent Ronal Serpas to launch the Alternative Police Response Unit, where she served as Commander. Should Ferguson continue to work as a police officer in some capacity, he could keep contributing to his state retirement package. It was too perilous. He also navigated the department at a time when the police commission says there is a critical shortage of officers. Shaun Ferguson announces retirement, La. I had a little knowledge of some of the players out there, Ferguson said. I talk to him almost every day, Ferguson said. He called the profession of a police officer a "noble calling," saying it was a job that he put before his family for a long time. While this is a family matter, Chief Ferguson wants to be clear that the NOPD will conduct a proper and complete investigation just like we do in every case, Cunningham said. Cantrell revealed Ferguson as her permanent choice on Jan. 14, breaking with the tradition of forming a search committee or appointing an interim chief who would be given time to meet the community before getting the job permanently. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson about the summer spike in violence and how the city has changed their policing efforts under a Justice Department order. You just let the city know, no we will not let this unfortunate situation dictate who we are, Ferguson said at the time. Ferguson quickly received a reminder that being the top cop comes with greater scrutiny. The summer after graduating high school, he also worked as a deputy for the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office, guarding inmates at the jail. Since joining the NOPD in 1998, Chief Ferguson has served with honor, distinction and integrity. 9 talking about this. IN FACT, HE SAYS ORLEANS MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL ASKED HIM TO RECONSIDER. Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office also released Fergusons booking photo Wednesday morning, and it has been added to the story.
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