By Sarah Sinning
NEW ORLEANS — Just as pre-shift roll calls help officers get ready for the day ahead, the New Orleans Police Department is hoping to likewise get community members up to speed by taking this ritual to the streets.
With “Front Porch Roll Calls,” a new community outreach event that will be held monthly, NOPD officers have the opportunity to not only meet citizens where they live and let them know what’s going on inside the precinct, but they also get an invaluable chance to hear what community members have to say.
“You could see from today, the amount of turnout, it created dialogue between officers and the citizens,” Lt. Ryan Lubrano told WWLTV during Saturday’s event. “We got a lot of good questions.”
Among the residents who participated on Saturday was Jeanie Keck, whose daughter was carjacked at gunpoint outside her home. Not only did the event help bring back a sense of security, she told the news outlet, but it also gave her an opportunity to thank the officers who responded in her family’s time of need.
“I want to thank (NOPD),” she said. “The day my daughter was carjacked four police cars showed up and stayed with us.”
It’s this outpouring of support, police say, that helps them make the city of New Orleans safer.
City Councilman Joe Giarrusso echoed this sentiment during Saturday’s roll call.
“It’s important for the officers to understand that people have their support. Also to hear thank you,” he said. “For people in public service frequently when you’re a police officer a firefighter, EMS, you don’t get that gratification back.”
The department will determine the locations of future roll calls based on crime trends.