SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND COURTS REACH DEAL TO RESUME SOME IN-PERSON PROCEEDINGS

NEW ORLEANS – Today, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson met with the District Attorney, Public Defender, and the Judges en banc of Criminal District Court to discuss the restructuring of OPSO staffing at the courthouse.

Criminal District Court will resume some in-person proceedings on Tuesday, while other matters are scheduled to proceed virtually. This hybrid arrangement is the result of a collaborative effort by all parties to develop a short-term plan to increase safety at the Orleans Justice Center and the courthouse.

"One year ago, when I announced my campaign for Sheriff, I laid out the problems that were plaguing the Sheriff's Office and said to our community, "we can and we must do better" – by taking immediate action to increase safety and more fully staff the jail, we are doing better. Currently, our deputies provide security for five separate courts and we will reassess our deployments over the coming weeks. I thank the Judges, District Attorney, Public Defenders, the Mayor, the City Council, and our Community for coming together to work on a plan to address our critical staffing shortage. The safety of every life in OJC, both residents and staff, remains my top priority." – Sheriff Susan Hutson

###