NOPD News

As thousands of residents and visitors celebrated the Fourth of July holiday and Essence Festival weekend, the New Orleans Police Department had additional officers and drone teams already deployed throughout the city to enhance public safety. That proactive deployment proved invaluable Saturday when a transformer caught fire in the French Quarter.

The City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) announced today a partnership with Mark43, a leading public safety software company, to implement a modern, cloud-based Records Management System (RMS). This upgrade will empower NOPD officers with the tools they need to be more efficient and improve public safety.

The New Orleans Police Department has successfully begun using drones to support public safety operations. In a recent incident on June 9, 2024, that resulted in two arrests, a drone was deployed after an officer-in-need-of-assistance/life-in-danger call.

The Department of Justice and the Office of the Consent Decree Monitor have given their approval to NOPD policy regarding use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS, or drones).

NOTE: While the announced public input period for this program was posted through December 1, 2023, the NOPD continues to welcome public input on all aspects of its policy.

On November 28, 2023, the NOPD hosted a public information event at its Training & Education Academy to discuss plans to begin using Small Unmanned Aircraft System technology (sUAS), commonly referred to as drone technology, to assist the agency as both a force multiplier and a crime-fighting tool.

The informational portion of the meeting can be viewed in the above player.