New Orleans Police Department preparing to form collaborative partnership with Louisiana National Guard

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Ahead of a meeting with Louisiana National Guard leaders and Gov. Jeff Landry, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick didn’t shy away from questions about the deployment of troops to New Orleans, as she has questions of her own.

“How many troops will be coming here, when, how long and what is their assignment from their perspective? And I want to be able to share what we see our needs are and how we could be partners in this situation,” said Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick says the troops will have their own chain of command, similar to Troop NOLA. She also would like to see troops in the French Quarter and downtown areas, while other hotspots still need to be discussed.

CEO of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, Melanie Talia, says the Louisiana National Guard could be a big help.

“Everything is still in its very early stages, but if we were to get approximately 135, it’s about a 15% increase in our, you know, NOPD manpower,” said Talia.

Talia believes the NOPD will be able to help navigate troops throughout the city. She is confident that the combined presence of the NOPD, Troop NOLA and the Louisiana National Guard will go a long way.

“We have all felt the positive impact of Troop NOLA and its support of public safety. So, I think we need to keep an open mind, and we need to let the Guard come, and at the end of the day, a presence is always a good thing,” said Talia.

Though some are hesitant about the federal help, Kirkpatrick reassures the community that this will be a transition, similar to when Troop NOLA first came in.

“They thought oh that was going to be a bad situation, and it has not been that. So, I think that the community is trusting all of us in law enforcement, and we have work to restore fractured relationships,” said Kirkpatrick.

In the last few days, the city has seen an uptick in homicides, but Kirkpatrick says they are not backsliding, as they continue to look for strategies to decrease crime even more.

Ina statement, the Louisiana National Guard says:

Agency heads and their deputies from the Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana State Police, and New Orleans Police Department met at LANG’s headquarters at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans on October 3, 2025, to conduct preliminary contingency planning to improve public safety.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of Louisiana; Col. Robert Hodges, LSP superintendent and Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, NOPD superintendent are working together at the strategic level to develop a contingency plan for a LANG mobilization to the city. Federal funding for the pending mobilization has yet to be approved, and no troops are currently mobilized in Louisiana for public safety support. The LANG acknowledges Governor Landry’s request to the United States Department of War for Guardsmen to mobilize in areas throughout the State.

Further development is pending, and future meetings will be held at different levels to optimize teamwork and ensure the best implementation for increasing public safety should a mobilization occur.

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