Paul M. Noel
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Over twenty-five years of progressively increasing responsibility within the New Orleans Police Department, including over six years as a Deputy Superintendent. A successful leader with a demonstrated commitment to a community-focused, problem-solving policing style that builds trust, reduces crime, demands accountability, and maintains a highly motivated workforce. Documented team builder who serves as an effective change agent both within the police department and the larger criminal justice system. Nationally recognized advocate of police ethics through active bystandership and experienced speaker before seminars, national conferences, and community meetings. Recipient of the Police Executive Research Forum’s prestigious Gary P. Hayes Award. Active Secret security clearance.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Deputy Superintendent, Chief of Detectives
May 2020 – Present
Overall supervision of over 200 sworn detectives responsible for all follow-up investigations including homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, auto theft, financial fraud, and white-collar crimes. Ensure investigators conduct quality, thorough, and factual investigations which lead to arrests and the successful prosecution of individuals. Manage all forensic science services by utilizing scientific instrumentation and techniques to present accurate, objective, and unbiased conclusions to the judicial system. Responsible for the security and storage of all Departmental evidence and property. Coordinate and manage NOPD’s criminal intelligence efforts both internally and externally.
● Reorganized an inefficient and ineffective Homicide Division which had a 36% solve rate, inadequate training for new detectives, an underperforming Cold Case Unit, and detectives who were not sharing intelligence or coordinating investigations with internal and external partners. The underperforming detectives were transferred, and inexperienced detectives were paired up with seasoned, effective investigators and formally trained. A cold case triaging system was established, and the Unit was revamped, resulting in 15 cold case clearances in 2021, a 650% increase over the prior year. A culture was created in the Homicide Division to encourage collaboration and information sharing both internally and externally. This resulted in an increase in the homicide solve rate to 54%.
● Implemented quarterly Homicide “Next of Kin” community meetings for homicide victims’ families. Through these meetings, victims’ families first meet individually with the case detective to provide the family with a formal update on the investigation. Following these individual meetings, there is a group meeting that allows for families to commiserate together and learn they are not alone in their grief and experiences. Social workers guide the conversation and assist them in the healing process.
● A member of the Narcotics Inter-Agency Working Group, a partnership with the District Attorney’s Office and other agencies within the criminal justice system. It is designed to direct resources to drug users in need of assistance while focusing police and prosecutorial efforts on those who prey upon them. Real time mapping is utilized to identify fatal and non-fatal overdose hotspots and to direct appropriate resources to those areas.
● Currently overseeing the planning, construction and buildout of a combined Crime Laboratory and Evidence Storage Facility with an anticipated move in date of April 2022. This $19 million, 64,000
square-foot dual purpose facility will focus on efficiently centralizing evidence processing and storage. Coordinating with external experts to reestablish a standalone DNA Laboratory for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
● Served as the chairperson and as a voting member of the Use of Force Review Board from 2016 to present day. The Use of Force Review Board serves as a quality control mechanism to ensure timely reviews of all serious use of force investigations, to determine the appropriateness of the investigative findings, and to quickly appraise use of force incidents from a tactics, training, policy, and agency improvement perspective.
Deputy Superintendent, Chief of Field Operations
December 2015 – May 2020
Responsible for directing over 900 sworn officers in the field including all eight Police Districts, Special Operations Division, Analytics Unit, Traffic Division, Communications, Community Liaisons, Special Event Planning, Crisis Intervention Team, Alternative Police Response Unit, Reserve Division, and the Officer Assistance Program. Formed and created the NOPD’s TIGER Unit (Tactical Intelligence Gathering Enforcement Response) to strategically target violent criminals.
● Transformed NOPD culture to breakdown silos and relentlessly investigate violence, significantly decreasing homicides from 174 in 2016 to 120 in 2019. This 31% decrease in homicides resulted in the lowest number of homicides committed in the City of New Orleans since 1971.
● Represented the NOPD in the US Department of Justice Public Safety Partnership. Worked intensively with cities across the country and federal agencies to develop strategies to reduce crime, evaluate the availability and adequacy of crime-related data, and identify measures to improve it.
● Served as the Incident Commander for all protests throughout the City of New Orleans. Tremendous preparation and community outreach were utilized to work with all parties to avoid violence and confrontation. During a period when New Orleans was removing Confederate monuments throughout the city, large crowds of protesters and counter protesters rallied around these locations for weeks at a time. Some of the counter protesters were armed with open carry assault rifles and handguns. All of these events were peacefully managed without using chemical agents (gas) or munitions.
● Served as the Incident Commander and led operational efforts for hurricanes, natural disasters, response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2019 cyber-attack on the City of New Orleans, and major special events such as Mardi Gras, NBA All-Star Game, NCAA National Championship Game, and the Sugar Bowl. Served as the Incident Commander for a DHS SEAR Level 2 event (Mardi Gras 2019) and coordinated operations with DHS personnel.
● Encouraged community members to hold their police leaders accountable and to play a part in how New Orleans neighborhoods are patrolled. Led a citywide effort to help residents form district-based Community Policing Plans. These plans directly involve the community by allowing them to participate in the problem-solving process.
● Completely overhauled and restructured the Department's COMSTAT process by creating MAX (Management Analytics for Excellence). The MAX analytic process takes a broader approach by focusing not only on crime, but also on all other areas of operational concern including response times, DA acceptance rates, and performance audits. MAX has revolutionized management by analyzing every aspect of District operations and is available to the public online to promote transparency.
● Streamlined agency workflow and reduced administrative burdens resulting in increased efficiency. These efforts included the implementation of an electronic warrant system, electronic citation system, and an automated daily activity sheet.
● Champion of the Ethical Policing Is Courageous (EPIC) peer intervention program developed in collaboration with community partners to promote a culture of high quality and ethical policing. Vocal proponent of teaching officers how to intervene to stop a wrongful action before it occurs. Presented to national audiences on peer intervention including the Major Cities Chiefs Conference,
International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, and Department of Justice's Public Safety Partnership Summit. Assisted with the creation of the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project at Georgetown University and currently serve on the Board of Advisors.
● Developed criminal justice policies for a $1.5M MacArthur Foundation grant related to reducing the jail population and implementing pre-booking diversion in New Orleans. Partnered with the Vera Institute to establish a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program in New Orleans. LEAD is a community-based diversion approach with the goal of improving public safety and public order while reducing unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system.
Commander, Second District
January 2012 – December 2015
Overall supervision over 90 sworn officers responsible for patrol operations, criminal investigations, narcotics investigations, personnel and disciplinary matters and community outreach within the Second District. The Second District obtained a well-deserved reputation of aggressively solving violent crimes. Led the city every year in the armed robbery solve rate, which was consistently above 40%. Oversaw year over year reductions in violent crime in the District.
● Developed and implemented a successful crime reduction strategy and implemented operations including a sweeping state RICO investigation in the Hollygrove neighborhood. This investigation removed several violent criminals from our community leading to neighborhood stability and crime reduction.
● Collaborated with other city agencies and the Hollygrove Neighborhood Association to identify, target and close down nuisance businesses and alcohol beverage outlets to improve neighborhood quality of life.
● Deployed Problem Oriented Policing strategies to reduce crime and disorder in Second District neighborhoods. Collaborated with community stakeholders to identify recurring problems and involve these residents in the process of improving their neighborhoods. Collected and utilized data to analyze problems and designed deployment strategies based upon the analysis. Created effective solutions to neighborhood problems, which led to a reduction of crime and disorder. Community collaboration mechanisms were defined and deployed.
● Worked closely with community members, faith-based leaders and non-profit organizations on Second District community outreach programs. Developed and implemented a mentorship program with students at Lafayette Charter School in the Hollygrove neighborhood.
● Organized the Second District Police Community Advisory Board, a community board responsible for vetting community ideas, working with NOPD to understand operations, processes, challenges, and building consensus on priority items important to the community before submitting recommendations to the NOPD for consideration.
Sexual Assault Special Task Force
November 2014 – December 2015
Tasked with the additional responsibility of leading the reforms of NOPD’s Sex Crimes Unit while simultaneously serving as the Second District Commander. This included supervising the reinvestigation of over 350 sexual assault investigations and completely overhauling NOPD’s sexual assault and child abuse policies and procedures. Coordinated closely with external stakeholders and advocates to develop and implement systematic policy reforms using national best practices to thoroughly investigate sexual assaults and to protect sexual assault survivors.
Commander – Criminal Investigation Division
April 2011 - January 2012
Organized the newly formed Criminal Investigations Division when the NOPD realigned in 2011. Responsible for the management of Homicide, Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Property Crimes, Juvenile and the District Attorney’s Office Police Investigators.
● Led the department’s efforts to reform the Homicide Section. Updated and revised outdated investigative methods resulting in increased homicide clearance rates. Renewed collaboration with outside agencies to improve investigative outcomes.
● Emphasized the importance of detectives participating in “Charging Conferences” with the District Attorney’s Office. This enhanced collaboration on criminal investigations led to higher quality investigative reports and increased clearance rates.
● Conducted a comprehensive analysis of investigative and process deficiencies in sexual assault investigations. Over 1000 untested sexual assault kits were discovered and sent to an external laboratory to be tested. This process, known as the Marshall Project, was replicated by the Detroit Police Department to help address similar issues.
Various NOPD Assignments
February 1997 - April 2011
Served as a lieutenant from June 2004 to April 2011 in a variety of assignments including as a detective lieutenant in the Special Victims Section, a detective lieutenant in two district based investigative units, on the staff of the Chief of Operations, and as a patrol platoon commander. Served as a detective sergeant and as a uniformed patrol sergeant from June 2002 to June 2004. Served as a patrol officer and a detective from February 1997 to June 2002.
EDUCATION
● Master of Arts, Criminal Justice (2009) - Loyola University New Orleans
● FBI National Academy, 230th Session (2007) - FBI Academy, Quantico, VA | University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
● Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice (2005) - Loyola University New Orleans
LECTURE, PUBLIC SPEAKING & SPECIAL PROJECTS
● Subject Matter Expert for a current COPS Office project titled Navigating Change and Keys to Successful Implementing Strategies. The goal of this project is to increase law enforcement knowledge of how to implement sustainable change by providing real-world guidance and tools such as checklists to assist in implementing change and to increase capacity for successful community engagement when implementing change.
● Member of the Transform 911 Governance Workgroup, a University of Chicago Health Lab project which consists of experts in public safety, academia, health care, community advocates and elected officials who are examining how to transform America’s 911 system to better prioritize health and safety.
● Currently partnering with the Plessy & Ferguson Foundation to identify and recognize members of the racially integrated New Orleans Metropolitan Police Department who were killed during the Reconstruction Era insurrection (Battle of Liberty Place) in 1874 by erecting a historical marker in the plaza in front of Police Headquarters.
● Regular guest lecturer at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA on Peer Active Bystandership, Leading Change, Consent Decrees and Crime Reduction Strategies and a speaker on the FBI National Academy “Leadership APB” Podcast Series.
● Regular lecturer and public speaker for the Georgetown University Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project on the science of Active Bystandership and Police Ethics. ABLE Certified Instructor and member of the ABLE Board of Advisors.
● Principal organizer of the 2019 Fighting Crime in Major Cities Conference in New Orleans sponsored by the Major Cities Chief Association and the Department of Justice. This two-day event allowed the NOPD to showcase its innovative crime reduction and police reform efforts to police executives from across the country.
● Public speaker at national meetings and conferences including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Police Executive Research Forum and the NOPD’s Annual Peer Intervention Conference.
● Regular speaker at the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Public Safety Partnership Conferences and Summits on collaborating with federal partners on investigations, focused deterrence, enhanced crime analysis and the Management Analytics for Excellence (MAX) model. Regularly assist PSP site cities with implementation of programs and projects.
● Keynote speaker at the Los Angeles Police Department’s 2018 Annual Crimefighters Conference which hosts the entire LAPD Command Staff and National and International Law Enforcement Executives.
PUBLICATIONS
● Active Bystandership Training for Law Enforcement: An EPIC Idea - The Municipal: The Premier Magazine of America’s Municipalities | August 2021
● EPIC Program in the NOPD - Associate: The Magazine of the FBI National Academy | March/April 2019
TRAINING & CERTIFICATIONS
● MCCA Police Executive Leadership Institute (PELI) – Chief’s Mentorship Program
● PERF Senior Management Institute for Police
● IACP Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) – Certified Instructor
● Ethical Policing is Courageous (EPIC) Training Program
● Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) – Certified Instructor
● RCTA News Media Relations for Law Enforcement Leaders
● FBI National Academy – Proactive Media Relations
● FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Program
● Practical Homicide Investigations – Vernon J. Geberth
● Statement Analysis – FBI National Academy
● FEMA (IS-800) National Response Plan Certification
● FEMA (IS-700) National Incident Management System Certification
● FEMA (ICS-400) Advanced Incident Command System
● FEMA (ICS-300) Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
● FEMA (IS-200) ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
● FEMA (IS-100) Introduction to the Incident Command System
● DEA – Drug Unit Commanders Academy, Quantico, VA
● DEA – Narcotics Supervisors Leadership Program
● Active Secret Security Clearance
AWARDS
● PERF – Gary P. Hayes Award
● Louisiana Civil Service League – Charles E. Dunbar Career Service Award
● Gambit Magazine – “40 Under 40” Annual List
● DEA OCDETF – Outstanding Case for the Eastern District of Louisiana
● ATF Commendation – Project Exile
● Numerous NOPD Awards & Commendations
BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND ORGANIZATIONS
● Georgetown University’s Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement – Board of Advisors
● University of Chicago Health Lab’s Transform 911 Governance Workgroup
● Gulf Coast HIDTA Executive Board
● Major Cities Chiefs Association Technology Committee
● FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Executive Board
● Mayor's Domestic Violence Working Group
● New Orleans Opioid Task Force
● New Orleans Jail Population Management Subcommittee
● Orleans Parish Communication District Board (Proxy Member)
● Sexual Violence Response Advisory Committee
● New Orleans Narcotics Inter-Agency Working Group
● FBI National Academy Associates
● Police Executive Research Forum
● International Association of Chiefs of Police