Ex-NYPD patrol chief named consulting chief in New Orleans

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A former chief of patrol for the New York City Police Department will serve temporarily as “consulting Chief of Operations” for the undermanned New Orleans Police Department. New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson announced the hiring of Fausto Pichardo in an email to his officers Wednesday. Ferguson said Pichardo will have the position for as long as six months and will train a successor. The move comes as New Orleans struggles to cope with a diminishing force, low morale and increasing response times for emergency calls — all at a time of pandemic-era increases in violent crime and heightened political pressure on Mayor LaToya Cantrell.