New Orleans swears in new police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, first woman to permanently hold the role
Anne Kirkpatrick speaks during a news conference at City Hall in New Orleans, Sept. 11, 2023, as Mayor LaToya Cantrell, back left, listens. Kirkpatrick was sworn in Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 as the first woman to hold a permanent appointment as the chief of police in New Orleans. Kirkpatrick has served as interim chief since June, when Mayor LaToyal Cantrell appointed her. (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP, file)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anne Kirkpatrick was sworn in Wednesday as the first woman to hold a permanent appointment as the chief of police in New Orleans.
Kirkpatrick has served as interim chief since June, when Mayor LaToya Cantrell appointed her. The posting was subject to City Council approval, which she won in a 6-1 vote last month.
Another woman, longtime New Orleans officer Michelle Woodfork, had held the job on an interim basis after the retirement last year of former chief Shaun Ferguson.
Kirkpatrick has previously served as chief of departments in Spokane, Washington, and Oakland, California.