Sworn to Serve

On this episode we are learning more about the school operating inside the Orleans Justice Center that is giving young people hope from behind bars. We hear from Byron Goodwin, Director of the Travis Hill School, who shares about the school’s recent success locally and nationally,

On this episode OPSO is getting ready to roll for Carnival season. As residents and visitors prepare to hit the parade routes, OPSO is finalizing the second annual Operation Mardi Gras plans to provide security along the routes. We hear from Major Silas Phipps, the Director of OPSO’s Compliance and Accountability Bureau who shares about supporting the agency's road to federal compliance. He also discusses managing the logistics for the large-scale Mardi Gras operation to welcome more than 200 officers and deputies from 18 different agencies to New Orleans to support with parade route security.

On this episode we are taking a look at the OPSO Youth Programming that is touching the lives of children and teens in our city. We hear from Ahmad Vitatoe who was once an OPSO Young Marine and now oversees the program. We also talk to Sgt. Altrice Taylor who leads the D.A.R.E program and is working in five New Orleans schools to teach the curriculum.

On this episode we invite Bruce Reilly the Deputy Director of Voice of the Experienced to share about his work with those in custody and the advocacy work VOTE is doing. We discuss how free phone calls and access to tablets can help curb jail violence and why the sheriff is asking the City Council for a $13-million budget increase.

On this episode, we discuss the mental health needs of the current jail population with outgoing Warden Dr. Astrid Birgden. We learn about the programming being implemented to address the population's needs, discuss the results of a recent consent monitor report, and sheriff explains why she believes compliance can be achieved under her leadership.

On this episode, we discuss the transition year after Sheriff Hutson took office, and she explains why she hired a clinical psychologist as the Warden. We also hear from Dr. Astrid Birgden, who has worked as the warden at the Orleans Justice Center for the past 18 months. We learn about the work done to introduce a new mission and vision and create a model of change that supports deputies and provides humane services for those in custody. Dr. Birgden also answers questions about why OPSO calls people in jail residents.

In this first episode, we give you a look into Sheriff Susan Hutson's journey to becoming the first woman ever elected sheriff in New Orleans and the first black woman to be sheriff in the state of Louisiana. We'll address concerns about the rising jail population and how we're working to tackle this problem with our partners. Then we will talk to Capt. Stephanie Minto with the OPSO Crime Victim Reparations Unit about the agency's efforts to raise awareness about domestic violence in our community and in our homes.