The NOPD, joined by the FBI New Orleans Division and Louisiana State Police, announced today the results of the 2026 edition of Operation Golden Eagle.
Operation Golden Eagle is a continued annual public safety partnership between the NOPD and its state and federal law enforcement partners. This special operation works to add additional officers, troopers and agents to the streets. This is a coordinated effort to proactively remove illegal guns and illegal narcotics from New Orleans neighborhoods, to hold violent offenders accountable and to help to restore safety to local communities.
“Operation Golden Eagle allows us to combine our manpower, intelligence resources and investigative expertise to put pressure on those who look to do harm to our community,” NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.
This year, Operation Golden Eagle saw the following totals during the three-week operation in late March into mid-April:
- 32 felony arrests
- 23 firearms seized
- 20 citations issued
- 20 fugitive arrests
- 19 narcotics arrests
- 18 firearms arrests
- 16 misdemeanor arrests
- 5 property crime arrests
- 4 stolen vehicles recovered
- $4,381 in currency seized
Of the 19 narcotics arrests made, these included 14 narcotics seizures, with an estimated total value of $4,120. Illegal narcotics seized included marijuana, cocaine, fentanyl, Tapentadol, ecstasy and Tramadol.
In addition to arrests, the agencies also issued or conducted several warrants and searches during this operation. These include:
- 27 vehicle searches conducted
- 10 arrest warrants executed
- 8 search warrants executed
- 4 search warrants issued
- 4 residential searches conducted
- 2 arrest warrants issued
A total of 137 traffic stops were also made during this operation, as well as seven foot pursuits and four vehicle pursuits. Of the traffic stops, 116 were LSP traffic stops and 21 were conducted by NOPD Special Operations Division, GRIP Unit or the Violent Crime Abatement Investigative Team. Of the seven foot pursuits, six were conducted by LSP and one by NOPD Special Operations Division. All four of the vehicle pursuits were conducted by LSP.
Kirkpatrick thanked all the officers, troopers, agents, detectives and analysts who worked on this operation. She also thanked community members for assisting with valuably tips and cooperation.
“As you can see, this partnership continues to be fruitful and positive in addressing crime in New Orleans,” she said. “This shows that when we work together, we can make an even bigger impact. Every gun we take off the street, every dose of dangerous illegal drugs we remove from the street and every violent offender that is taken out of our neighborhoods is one step forward to make our city safer.”
Have a question or correction? Please email NOPD’s Public Affairs Division at nopdpio@nola.gov.