NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — While campaigning for Orleans Parish Sheriff, Susan Hutson promised that if she were elected, she would “engage the community and serve as a Sheriff who reflected and advocated for their values.” After the historic win, Sheriff Hutson began fulfilling her promise by creating a Transition Team, with the main goal of assessing the challenges and opportunities for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO).
On June 5, Sheriff Hutson released the 98-page report from the Transition Team, which contains the studies, surveys, and recommendations for the OPSO. The transition team’s task was to:
Conduct a deep analysis of the state of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, compare and assess best practices from other jurisdictions -both state and federal, and compile in-depth recommendations that would guide Sheriff Hutson and her administration.
After five months of research, discussions, and deliberations, the Transition Report was released. The document showed over 200 recommendations for Sheriff Hutson to implement at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
According to Susan Hutson, more than 150 volunteers aided in the completion of this report. These volunteers focused on six key areas of progressive change. The 6 key focus groups included the following:
- Care
- Custody
- Control
- Civil
- Command
- Community
The transition team was led by three co-chairs:
- Professor Andrea Armstrong
- Honorable Calvin Johnson (ret.)
- Mr. Flozell Daniels, Jr.
THE FULL REPORT CAN BE ACCESSED HERE.
The recommendations were organized by the first 100 days Hutson served as sheriff, her first year in office, and her first term as sheriff.