Background: A consent decree was enacted in New Orleans in 2013. At the time, it was the most detailed consent decree to date, and more than 300 officers left the department within the first two years. In 2019, the federal judge overseeing New Orleans’ consent decree stated they hoped the city could be in full compliance with the agreement in 2020.

Time:

12+ years

Status:

Ongoing

Cost:

~$150 million

Result: To this day, New Orleans is still under a consent decree — despite meeting most of the demands of the decree and having filed a motion in 2022 and in May 2025 to end it. According to a report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office, between 2019 and 2023, the department lost 26.6% of its staff, bringing the total number of sworn officers to its lowest point since the 1940s. As a result, response times have tripled, from 51 minutes in 2019 to 146 minutes in 2023.

View Graph   Graph Source: NOPD Staffing Dashboard