MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons is in New Orleans this week as part of a National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) team of five elected district attorneys from across the country to conduct a review of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and the state of the criminal justice system in New Orleans.
The team of top prosecutors also includes the district attorneys from Atlanta, Charlotte, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Each is a member of the NDAA’s board of directors.
The team will spend the week of November 12-16 meeting with key criminal justice stakeholders, including judges, police officials, community leaders, prosecutors and members of the defense bar. Within 60 days of the assessment, the team is expected to make recommendations regarding necessary resources and best practices that could be applied to help rebuild the Orleans Parish D.A.’s Office and the beleaguered system.
As part of the team, District Attorney Gibbons has been asked to focus on relations between the Orleans Parrish D.A.’s Office and other law enforcement agencies.
“Here in Shelby County, we are fortunate to have a model relationship between the D.A.’s Office and other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. New Orleans is unique, but I hope some of our experiences might be valuable to them,” D.A. Gibbons said.
“This is a challenging task, but I’m glad to be part of it. I have family ties to New Orleans. Most importantly, our community has so many cultural and commercial ties to New Orleans. What happens in New Orleans can affect us,” Gibbons added.
The Orleans Parrish D.A.’s Office and the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation requested that NDAA conduct the review. The trip is being funded by the NDAA.
Orleans Parrish District Attorney Eddie Jordan submitted his resignation two weeks ago. Keva Landrum-Johnson was appointed interim district attorney. She is the former first assistant district attorney.
The National District Attorneys Association has approximately 7,000 members who represent about 30,000 prosecutors nationally. State and local prosecutors are responsible for prosecuting more than 95% of all criminal cases in America. |