February 8, 2022 | From City of New Orleans
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS ANNOUNCES COMPRHENSIVE PLAN TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today announced a series of proposed solutions aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of the City’s public safety personnel.
National labor force shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have had widespread impacts on staffing within City departments. Shortages have been most significant among public safety departments and agencies, such as the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC), New Orleans Equipment Maintenance Division (EMD), New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). Vacancy rates are at historic highs, reaching 52 percent for some departments.
"With the current full-time public safety positions that are budgeted, we definitely have to focus on filling these critical vacancies at this time," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "Our public safety team has been doing the work and saving lives every day throughout this pandemic, and we will certainly feel the impacts of these vacancies if we do not ramp up our efforts to both recruit, as well as retain our public safety workforce."
In response, the Cantrell Administration announced a comprehensive public safety retention and recruitment package which lays out several proposals aimed at recruiting and retaining public safety employees, including a $5,000 signing bonus for NOPD recruits completing training. The plan also calls for targeted retention incentives for commissioned police and other high demand positions, reforms to the City’s Human Resources division, and a series of policy changes within the Civil Service Commission, City Council and State Legislature to address long standing barriers to hiring and retaining employees.
The Administration will submit several proposals for consideration at the upcoming Civil Service Commission meetings. If approved, commissioned police officers could begin receiving retention payments commensurate with length of service, as well as additional catch-up payments for officers currently serving. Juvenile detention counselors, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and mechanics could receive payments upon approval from the Civil Service Commission, and again after a year of service.
"The proposed reforms presented today provide a number of immediate, as well as long-term solutions that address internal operations, policy reforms, and pay reforms," said CAO Gilbert Montaño. "These new initiatives are the first step in that process and provides a clear path toward hiring and retaining the best of the best, while also addressing long standing barriers the City has faced when hiring and retaining top talent. With these initiatives, we are hopeful that together, we will be able to swiftly enact these changes to solve one of the City’s most pressing problems."
Other proposals include an expanded referral program, increased pay for highly skilled positions, additional personnel hires to focus on long-term recruitment and workplace culture, changes to marijuana and domicile hiring policies, and longevity increases for lateral hires that include time served in other jurisdictions.
For any additional questions, please contact the Chief Administrative Office at (504) 658-8600.
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