NEW ORLEANS—The NOPD announced that Deputy Superintendent Robert Bardy will retire from the department after 41 years of public service. Bardy was first hired as a police recruit in 1974.
“I want to thank Chief Harrison for giving me the opportunity to help him lead and mentor the dedicated men and women in the field who serve our city every day,” said Bardy. “We’ve made significant progress over the past year to combat violent crime and improve the services we provide to our residents and visitors. Under the leadership of Chief Harrison, we successfully reduced overall crime year-to-year in every quarter in 2015, and we created innovative and smart deployment strategies that will ensure continued success in the future.”
“There is no greater career than policing and there is no better place to do it than the New Orleans Police Department,” he said. “Serving the people of New Orleans has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.”
NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison thanked Bardy for his dedication to the department and his leadership of the district commanders in the field.
“Our number one priority is making our city safe and rebuilding this department, and I am thankful for the hard work that Deputy Chief Bardy has put in to making that happen,” said NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison. “His passion for the NOPD and the New Orleans community is unmatched. With the contributions he’s made to this department, I am confident we will continue to improve and provide the best possible police services to our community.”
Prior to serving as Deputy Superintendent of the Field Operations Bureau, Bardy spent nine years as the Commander of the Sixth District. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2002 and has held leadership roles in various areas of the department, including the Seventh District, Mounted Division and K-9 Unit and Narcotics and Intelligence. Bardy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Loyola University.
Upon his departure, current Second District Commander Paul Noel will be appointed as Deputy Superintendent of the Field Operations Bureau.
Superintendent Harrison said, “Commander Noel has a proven record of strong, community-focused leadership during his time as Second District Commander. I am confident that he has the skills and ability to lead the men and women in the field and ensure we are doing everything we can to make every neighborhood a safe neighborhood.”
Commander Noel has been with the NOPD for 18 years. Noel has most recently served as Commander of the Second District, overseeing police services for the Uptown and Carrollton neighborhoods since January 2012. Under his watch, the 2nd District has successfully reduced response times through innovative deployment strategies and maintained one of the highest armed robbery clearance rates in the district’s history, while working aggressively to decrease the total number of armed robberies overall. Additionally, in 2014, Chief Harrison tapped Noel to lead a special task force to reinvestigate sexual assault cases outlined in a report by the Office of Inspector General and recommend new policies to reform the Special Victims Section. From June 2010 to March 2011, he served as the Commander of the Sex Crimes Division, overseeing a major overhaul of the Division and clearing a significant sexual assault kit backlog. He began with the NOPD in 1997, serving in various capacities and districts.
Prior to joining the NOPD, Noel served as a deputy in the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and later the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Loyola University in 2005 and a Master of Criminal Justice from Loyola University in 2009. He is also a 2007 graduate of the FBI National Academy and a frequent guest lecturer at Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans.
