New Orleans Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - March 5, 2026
New Orleans Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - March 5, 2026
The meeting was called to order at 4:15 PM with a roll call. Councilmembers King, Morel, Harris, Green, and Hughes were present. The meeting covered crime trends, technology upgrades, health department violence prevention programs, a contract for the independent police monitor, and funding for the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) court program. Public testimony was heard on multiple items, including emotional appeals from families affected by violence and mental illness.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the September 30, 2025 meeting were approved by a voice vote (motion by Councilmember Green, second by Councilmember Harris).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Shantae Scott (mother of Jalee Scott) spoke about her son's murder in 2019, alleging evidence mishandling and lack of body camera footage from NOPD officers. She was cut off for not being germane to the agenda item.
- Larry Morgan spoke in support of the independent police monitor but criticized the council for walking out during public comments, calling them a "disgrace."
- Carrie Estes (mother of a son with mental illness) testified that the AOT program saved her son's life, helping him graduate from UNO. She urged approval of funding.
- Mark Arnellis (father) described his son's schizophrenia and how AOT provided stability. He asked the council to support the program.
- Dijon Latrice Wacku (AOT program participant) shared her personal recovery from bipolar schizoaffective disorder, noting that the program dramatically reduced hospitalizations and incarcerations (from 10-15 incarcerations to near zero).
- Dolita Willhike (case manager and mother) described how AOT helped her son, though she noted a recent medication change caused a crisis.
- Stephanie Martin (aunt) spoke about her nephew with mental illness, frustrated by lack of hospital support.
- Liv Arm Burgundy (police community advisory board president) urged support for AOT and PCABs as resources for families.
- Ms. Williams (mother) shared that her son with schizoaffective disorder benefited from AOT but needs more housing and support.
- Online commenter (David Loke) praised Healing Minds NOLA for helping his family navigate mental health crisis.
Discussion Items
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Crime Overview by Neighborhood (Deputy Mayor Michael Harrison, Daniel Shanks, Nathaniel Weaver)
- Justice Tech Modernization: Weaver reported on a $20M+ investment in technology. Key achievements: enterprise service bus for real-time data sharing, NOPD's Mark 43 system, new court case management system (replacing 1988 tech), and an analytics platform. The new jail management system is the last piece. These systems will reduce delays and inefficiencies, saving over $20 million per year in pretrial medical costs alone.
- Neighborhood Crime Trends: Shanks presented maps showing violent crime concentrations (2023-2025) in the Willows, Chef Menteur Highway, 7th Ward, Central City, and Canal Street. An animated map showed dynamic crime clustering. He highlighted a successful intervention at the Willows after a shooting of a 4-year-old, involving improved lighting, fencing, and 24/7 security.
- Councilmember Hughes noted the Willows gas station as a site of suspicious activity. Councilmember Green flagged a new hotspot at West Bend near the racetrack.
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Health Department's Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) – Dr. Jordan Bond, Roberta Dubuque, Jocelyn Pinkerton
- OVP oversees hospital-based violence intervention (HVIP), Ubuntu Village's peace ambassadors, Trauma Recovery Center (TRC), firearm storage (biometric gun safes), and victim services.
- Metrics: TRC participants grew from 464 (2023) to over 1,000 (2025). In 2025, over 3,000 biometric gun safes distributed. The Family Justice Center reached nearly 3,000 people after domestic violence incidents, offering referrals to 2,600.
- Auburn's "4x6" strategy focuses on Central City, Algiers, 8th Ward, and New Orleans East with 90-day door-to-door outreach.
- Councilmember Harris asked about budget cuts: OVP acknowledged recent DOJ funding cuts but said they are seeking private grants and continue to operate.
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Contract for Independent Police Monitor (Office of Independent Police Monitor)
- Stella Smith, the independent police monitor, presented a lease agreement for office space at 2714 Canal Building LLC: three-year term, $56,000 per year. The contract was identical to the previous one.
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Healing Minds NOLA and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Court Program
- Janet Hayes (founder) explained the AOT program, a civil court process for individuals with severe mental illness who refuse treatment. The program saves the city $2 million annually in police, EMT, and incarceration costs.
- Judge Kern Reese described the history (Nicola's Law, 2008) and the program's success: 55 active participants, 47 under judgment. Participants are monitored every two weeks.
- The contract with the city is for $75,000 (reduced from $100,000 due to budget cuts), which covers psychiatric evaluations and support staff.
- Councilmember Harris pressed for state-level advocacy. Hayes noted that they have engaged with state legislators but face barriers like workforce shortages and lack of intermediate care facilities.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes of September 30, 2025: Approved unanimously.
- Contract for Independent Police Monitor (Item 7): Approved by voice vote (motion by Councilmember King, second by Councilmember Harris). The three-year lease at $56,000/year was approved.
- Ordinance for AOT Program (Healing Minds NOLA) – Calendar Number 35,341: Approved by voice vote (motion by Councilmember King, second by Councilmember Harris). The ordinance authorizes an amendment to the cooperative endeavor for one additional year, funding mental health evaluations and coordination.
- Adjournment: Motion by Councilmember Hughes, second by Councilmember Green. Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning everyone. We're going to call the criminal justice meeting to order. We mister Nita, start with you with a roll call, please. Sure. See, roll call. Councilmember King. Here. Councilmember Morel. Councilmember Harris. Uh Councilmember Green. And Councilmember Hughes sent. We have three members when Councilmember Harris returns for our quorum. All right. Thank you. We'll wait for Councilmember Harris if we go to minutes. Right. There's one, there's two voting items on there and cover it right at the pool. I want to have a very good factory. All right. So you have your quorum if you want to vote on your minutes. All right, make a motion to uh approve the minutes for the twenty September 30th, 2025 meeting. Second green. Say aye. Aye, aye. All right. Um, I've been informed that we may be quorum challenged a little earlier, a little later, so can we take the voting items? Sure. The only other voting items you have if you're planning on voting on the ordinance and then the contract. Well, Councilmember Hughes is here. Okay. All right. So uh if you want to go in order, your first presentation is an overview of the crime in the city by neighborhood. Um presented by, let's see, uh Michael Harrison, our deputy mayor of public safety, Daniel Shanks, Director of Special Projects with Homeland Security, and Nathaniel Weaver, Justice Tech Modernization Program Director. Yeah, so those individuals who come to the desk in the front, we can start our presentation. But while they're coming, I want to give an opening statement to kind of set the tone for this um in future criminal justice meetings. I want to acknowledge the seriousness and difficulty of the criminal justice work being done in this city, crime prevention and responses to crime represent complex deeply human work that often unfolds in challenging circumstances. We recognize that many of you are working directly with individuals and families during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. If improvements are needed, we want to identify them together. Today's conversation is about clarity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. All in service of safer communities and better outcomes for the people affected by violence, and that's truly anyone in this city at any given time. With that, we look forward to today's meeting, and we will have our first set of presentation presenters come to the table. Thank you. We also have Councilmember Hughes and Councilmember Morrell joining us. I believe that does work. Huh? Yeah. Yes. Good morning to the chair. Good morning to the members of the council. Um Deputy Mayor Michael Harrison of Public Safety.
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