The recent editorial, "Historic drop in New Orleans crime is worth celebrating," rightly celebrates our city's progress in reducing crime. However, it overlooks an important part of the story: Public safety is about more than policing.
To be sure, New Orleans' declining crime rate is a victory for the people who call this city home, for our families, friends, neighbors and communities. It is rooted more than anything in the fact that we, as a city, have more stable, healthy lives.
While law enforcement plays a role in public safety, so do public defenders, community organizations and well-resourced communities that address the issues often underlying justice system involvement. Every day, we represent people struggling with mental illness, substance use disorders, housing instability and other unmet needs. Arrests and incarceration alone do little to improve long-term public safety when those challenges remain unaddressed.
At Orleans Public Defenders, attorneys work alongside social workers, client advocates and investigators to connect clients with treatment, housing, employment assistance and other resources that reduce future system interaction. Public defense is an investment in people; helping individuals move from crisis to stability, supporting families and fostering safer neighborhoods.
If New Orleans' health and safety progress is to continue, we cannot rely solely on enforcement and incarceration. Lasting crime reduction requires continued investment in the community organizations doing the often unseen work to prevent violence and increase stability for the most vulnerable in our city — and yes, public defense as well.
Those investments make our city safer for residents and visitors alike, and they deserve recognition as part of New Orleans' success.
DANNY ENGLEBERG
Orleans Public Defenders
