Pubdate: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 Source: Times-Picayune, The (LA) Copyright: 2004 The Times-Picayune Contact: http://www.nola.com/t-p/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/848 Author: Henri Wolbrette III Note: Series-Related Letter to Editor TAKE STEPS TO HIRE MORE POLICE The Times-Picayune's in-depth series, "Cycle of Death," is bringing to light horrifying tales of violent crime in our city. Central to the series is that New Orleans has once again become the nation's murder capital. This dubious achievement is not surprising, given the substantial shrinkage of the Police Department over the past three years. One month ago, the New Orleans Police Foundation published a report that demonstrated the connection between our high murder rate and our dwindling police force. The report provided a three-pronged solution in order to increase the size of the department to the 2,000 officers needed for a safe city: We must increase pay, reform the promotions system and repeal the residency requirement. A majority of police officers agreed on these interrelated solutions. Although the residency requirement is a hot-button issue, 79 percent of responding officers believe it should be repealed. The Times-Picayune has aptly shown that violence in our city has once again reached a crisis level. We face a clear choice -- - either implement these solutions and make our city safe, or do nothing and allow the problem to get worse. Henri Wolbrette III New Orleans