(The Center Square) — The New Orleans Police Department is grappling with a staffing crisis, with officer numbers at their lowest since the 1940s and facing mounting financial penalties for falling short of state-mandated thresholds.

According to a report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's office, between 2019 and 2023, the department lost 26.6% of its staff in police districts, with a total of 776 employees — both civilian and commissioned — leaving during this period.

Of those departures, 496 were resignations, 205 were retirements, 46 were dismissals and 22 were attributed to death. The exodus has coincided with a steady decline in new recruits, with just 35 recruits joining the force so far in 2024, compared to 88 in 2023, 25 in 2022, and 42 in 2021.

The staffing shortages have triggered financial penalties under Louisiana law, which requires municipalities with significant staffing drops to cover their share of unfunded liabilities in the Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System .

Starting in July 2023, the city of New Orleans has been fined $50,314 monthly, with penalties set to rise to $214,113 per month by July 2024 unless staffing levels rebound. To reverse the penalties, the department would need an estimated 1,100 employees in the system.

The shortage has also raised concerns about the NOPD's ability to comply with a federal consent decree that requires reforms to address longstanding civil rights violations and misconduct. The consent decree, in effect since 2012, mandates fair, unbiased, and constitutional policing.

The department's depleted ranks have strained its capacity to meet these standards, particularly in responding to emergency calls for domestic violence and sexual assault cases.

The federal monitor overseeing the decree highlighted issues with "Gone on Arrival" dispositions, where officers fail to respond promptly to emergency calls.

"If officers cannot consistently respond to calls for service in a timely manner, the NOPD cannot meet this fundamental obligation," the monitor noted.

Officers' job satisfaction has also plummeted, with many citing financial stress and excessive overtime as contributing factors.

One officer remarked in a survey: "With current cost of living increases, it is impossible for an officer (with a family) to survive on their regular salary alone. The only way to live comfortably is to work 30+ hours of overtime every week… which affects family relationships and officers' mental health."

City officials say the consent decree has cost New Orleans approximately $61.3 million since its inception, with $14.3 million allocated to the Office of the Consent Decree Monitor.

Gov. Jeff Landry has been a vocal critic of the decree, blaming it for NOPD's staffing woes.

"The New Orleans Police Department is in shambles because of a federal consent decree and a federal judge," Landry said earlier this year.

In response to the crisis, Landry established a permanent State Police troop in New Orleans in early 2024, deploying 40 troopers to assist local law enforcement. He has also called on officers nationwide to join Louisiana, highlighting legislative efforts to bolster police protections, including the newly enacted Halo Act.