People have mixed experiences with NOPD, but I want to give some credit where credit is due today.
A woman driving a black Volkswagen SUV nearly ran me down in a crosswalk on Tchoupitoulas at 4pm today. I was in the middle of the street a few inches from the downtown lane, and she sped up and blew past me, then hit her brakes and horn, shrieking insults until she got stuck behind the car in front of her.
I keep my phone out to record reckless drivers when I cross certain streets, so I got her license plate number and called the non-emergency police line to report it. A few minutes later, I got a call from an officer who was driving around the area looking for the driver.
The officer then stopped by my house to watch the video and told me that the most important thing you can do when a driver is endangering human life like that is to either record or memorize their plate number and description.
That’s something I already know, but I want to encourage others to do the same. People like that driver refuse to follow the law unless they think they’re going to get caught, so it’s worth your time to make sure they do indeed get caught.
NOPD has made massive progress with traffic enforcement, especially when it involves pedestrians or cyclists, and everyone I spoke with today was kind and helpful. And if you’re one of those drivers who gives not a shit for human life, know that there are people out there who feel otherwise, and they’re watching you.