New Orleans Police Department Faces $2M Deficit

(Information from: WWL-TV, http://wwltv.com)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Police Department says it's facing a $2 million deficit.

WWL-TV reports New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison outlined the department's financial challenges and $2 million deficit at Wednesday's City Council meeting.

Overtime spending is contributing to the deficit, and the department is on track to spend more than $1 million in overtime this year than it did in 2015. Harrison says that the weather has been good for events like Mardi Gras, French Quarter Fest and others, leading to higher attendance. The department has been "preparing and deploying" more officers to these events to provide adequate safety coverage.

The second-largest factor for the deficit is retirees, as 28 officers have retired this year.

Furthermore, the department turned over 911 dispatch operations to the Orleans Parish Communications district, costing an unexpected $400,000.