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NEW ORLEANS, LA - On Thursday, March 5, 2026, the Criminal Justice Committee met to hear presentations from members of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Office of Violence Prevention, and Healing Minds NOLA, as well as Honorable Judge Kern Reese of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court. The Committee also reviewed and voted on an ordinance amending an existing Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City and Healing Minds NOLA.
Overview of Crime in the City by Neighborhood
Members of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and others gave a presentation before the Committee, providing an overview of crime in New Orleans by neighborhood. The presentation detailed how the City Council committed $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to modernize the city's criminal justice technology infrastructure and improve information sharing across agencies. Nearly all initiatives identified in the ARPA funding roadmap are currently operational. The final ongoing initiative is to replace the Jail Management System.
Representatives also showed that certain types of crime in New Orleans have decreased significantly from 2022 to 2025. Armed robberies are down by 70%, nonfatal shootings have fallen by 59%, murders have decreased by 55%, and fatal shootings are down by 61%.
Overview of the Health Department's Office of Crime Prevention
Next, members of the Health Department's Office of Crime Prevention gave a presentation. Speakers explained that, thanks to transformative investment in the city, shootings and homicides that peaked in 2022 have decreased by 53% between 2023 and 2025. The Office of Violence Prevention has also created an ecosystem to bolster violence prevention efforts through its connections to different partners, programs, and services.
Presentation from Healing Minds NOLA Initiative
Healing Minds NOLA, a nonprofit based in New Orleans that advocates for better treatment systems for people with severe mental illness, gave a presentation before the Committee regarding Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs in Louisiana. These AOT programs assist in identifying individuals with untreated severe mental illness and linking them to court-ordered outpatient treatment, psychiatric evaluations, and coordinated care with hospitals and providers. Additionally, these programs aim to reduce homelessness, incarceration, and repeated hospitalizations by ensuring individuals who struggle to recognize their illness remain engaged in treatment.
CEA Amendment Between City and Healing Minds NOLA
The Committee recommended Ordinance No. 35,341 for approval. This ordinance authorizes the Mayor to enter into Amendment No. 4 to the City's Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with Healing Minds NOLA. The amendment extends the agreement for one additional year and modifies certain provisions to continue supporting the AOT program.
Under this agreement, Healing Minds NOLA arranges and pays physicians to perform court-ordered mental health evaluations for potential AOT participants. The program, operated through the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, connects individuals needing mental health treatment to services through case management and court oversight.
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