About the New Orleans
Police Department New
Orleans became a part of the United States by the Louisiana Purchase on December 20, 1803. The city limits at that time were
in the restricted boundaries of Canal Street on the South, Esplanade Street on the North, the Ramparts on the West and the
levee on the East. Beyond that, there was nothing but swamps and plantations. In 1804 came the patrol militia under James
Pitot, the then Mayor of New Orleans. The Guard Deville (City Watch) followed in 1806 but was abolished in 1808. Militia patrols
were again established. By 1817, with the growth of the city, the number of constables increased to 46 and for the first time,
the city was divided into police districts - French Quarter, Faubourg’s Treme, St. Mary and Marigny. A Guard
House was placed in each district. Today, the
New Orleans Police Department is organized into five bureaus who report to the Superintendent of Police: Bureau of Investigations;
Operations Bureau; Criminal Intelligence Bureau; Public Integrity Bureau; and, Administrative and Support Bureau.
A deputy chief in charge of policing and planning also reports to the New Orleans Police Department Superintendent
of Police. The Operations
Bureau is the largest, with over 17 divisions and 1700 commissioned police officers.
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Lieutenant Donald L. Brewer retired
from the New Orleans Police Department in 1993. St Charles Nights is a fictional work based on his twenty-three
years of experience, which included such assignments as Deputy Commander Internal Affairs, Deputy Commander of the Second
and Seventh Police Districts, Traffic Fatality Commander and Commander of the New Orleans Police Academy. His
final tour, prior to retirement, by choice, was the Sixth Police District, which is the actual inspiration for the book.
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