The French Quarter is set to see nearly twice as many Louisiana State Police patrols next year after the French Quarter Management District approved a funding increase that will push the program's budget from $260,000 to $600,000. The boost, approved in late September, comes as the Jeff Landry administration moves to expand Troop NOLA's footprint in the neighborhood following the end of the Louisiana National Guard's deployment in the city.
The jump in funding, first reported by NOLA.com reporter Sophie Kasakove, will raise Troop NOLA's off-duty patrol hours in the French Quarter from 4,390 to 8,000 per year. Troop NOLA charges $75 per patrol hour, according to the report. Of the new money, $450,000 will come from the state's annual allocation to the district, while the remaining $150,000 would be funded through a dedicated neighborhood sales tax — a local contribution that still needs city council approval, with a vote expected on November 19.
Why State Police Are Expanding in the Quarter
The push traces back to a July proposal from Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections officials, who called for increased supplemental law-enforcement capacity and flexibility to respond to safety and quality-of-life needs, per the NOLA.com report. Under that proposal, the Landry administration estimated troopers would make 70 arrests in 2026. Troopers assigned to the Quarter have targeted open-air drug sales, illegal golf carts for hire, and Bourbon Street shot girls, according to the same account.
Governor Landry launched the New Orleans-focused Troop NOLA in 2024, and Louisiana State Police has continued to frame the unit as central to its presence in the city. Danny Berrincha said Louisiana State Police remains committed to supporting New Orleans and NOPD with citywide assistance, proactive enforcement, and a coordinated French Quarter presence, according to the NOLA.com report. A spokesperson for Landry did not respond to a request for comment from the outlet.
State and local leaders have said the heightened enforcement has helped reduce crime and quality-of-life problems, though businesses, residents and advocates have expressed mixed responses to the increased law-enforcement sweeps. Some residents said the heightened police presence makes the neighborhood feel safer, while others argued that crackdowns on unpermitted vendors have limited locals' access to the tourist economy, per the same report.
Local Patrols Already Logged Thousands of Calls This Year
The state funding increase builds on a patchwork of existing patrol efforts. The French Quarter Management District describes its French Quarter Patrols as a coordinated, multi-agency effort led by NOPD and the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, funded by the district. Those efforts, the district says, deliver 24/7 patrol coverage paid for through the Quarter for the Quarter sales tax, a DOJ JAG Byrne Grant, and support from New Orleans & Company.
The district's patrol program reports responding to 5,384 app and dispatch calls for service, along with writing 278 summonses and 1,284 traffic citations. Separately, French Quarter Management District-funded patrols conducted nearly 50,000 citizen and business checks in the neighborhood during 2025, according to New Orleans CityBusiness. The outlet also reported that supplemental patrols typically respond to reports submitted through the district's safety app in under five minutes. The district has approved local funds in recent years for overtime patrols by off-duty NOPD officers and sheriff's deputies, and this year bought a remotely piloted police drone and docking station that responds to neighborhood 911 calls.
What the Numbers Show About Crime Citywide
New Orleans recorded 121 murders in 2025, down 3% from 125 the previous year, according to data reported by NOLA.com — a figure the outlet said would represent a 14% drop if the 14 deaths from the Bourbon Street attack were excluded. Nonfatal shootings also declined 3% in 2025, while armed robberies fell 28% and carjackings fell 35%, per the same data. District 8, which includes the French Quarter and was heavily affected by the Bourbon Street attack, bucked the citywide trend: it recorded 22 homicides in 2025 compared with 13 the year before, a 69% increase, NOLA.com reported.
NOPD has also moved to shore up staffing in the district. The department assigned 16 new recruits to the 8th District and increased daily Bourbon Street patrol staffing from 10 to 15 officers, according to the NOLA.com report. Christian Pendleton, who chairs the French Quarter Management District's security committee, said the 8th District continues to struggle with staffing and that state troopers can provide added support, while also saying state police have made substantial progress in the neighborhood.
Homelessness Funding Emerges as a Flashpoint
Pendleton told NOLA.com that homelessness remains the French Quarter's biggest issue, and that more troopers would allow for steady outreach and sustained pressure on the problem. The French Quarter Management District is considering $350,000 for homeless outreach and the city's low-barrier shelter, after allocating the same amount for those programs last year. The district is also set to vote on whether to roll over $200,000 in unspent prior-year funding toward the effort.
That local debate is unfolding against a tighter citywide budget picture. Mayor Helena Moreno has proposed a city budget that cuts funding for the shelter and other priorities to address a $100 million shortfall, according to the NOLA.com report, though the City Council has vowed to assemble funding to keep the low-barrier shelter open next year.
Joe Congleton, a French Quarter resident who manages a Bourbon Street restaurant, told NOLA.com that increased state trooper patrols could deter would-be criminals and were a reasonable move during a busy season for the neighborhood. But Congleton also argued that officials should increase funding to assist homeless people in the French Quarter, saying he believes officials are more willing to spend money jailing homeless people than helping them. The debate over how to balance enforcement and outreach comes nearly two years after Chris Granger photographed Louisiana State Police cruising through the French Quarter on the morning of the Bourbon Street New Year's Day attack, an image that has become a touchstone in the city's ongoing conversation about police presence in the neighborhood.
