NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison has announced the formation of a new police unit that will focus on gun violence and removing offenders from the streets.
The squad, part of the NOPD's Special Operations Division, is modeled after a unit the department formed to investigate armed robberies in the city.
“We’re going to take the fight to the bad guys, instead of waiting for the bad guys,” Harrison said. “This unit will gather the intelligence and then go out there and find the people who are carrying the illegal guns and committing the violent offenses.”
The unit is made up of eight officers and one sergeant.
The goal is to stem an increasing number of shootings in the city. The New Orleans Advocate reports that within the past year 661 have become victims of gun violence in New Orleans.