Convention Center officials and Exhibition Hall Authority Board Members pictured L-R: Commissioner Darren Mire, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center President/GM Michael Sawaya, Commissioner Bonita Robertson, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center VP of Finance Alita Caparotta, Commissioner Robert Bray, Commissioner Steve Pettis meet with Chief of Public Safety Support Services Ross Bourgeois.
Board members of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority visited the New Orleans Police Department’s Real Time Crime Monitoring Center recently to learn of its capabilities in reducing crime. The Real Time Crime Monitoring Center was funded from the $23 million invested by the Authority in the Citywide Public Safety Improvement Plan. The facility allows law enforcement to pinpoint the location of crimes and support ongoing police investigations using advanced technologies including license plate readers and a network of security cameras.
The crime monitoring center (pictured left) is one part of a $40 million, multi-step public safety program put forward by the City of New Orleans. The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority, the governing body for the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, funded a large share of the program’s total budget.
The Real Time Crime Monitoring Center currently relies on more than 125 cameras installed at areas of interest based on historical crime trends in the city, as well as input from New Orleans Police. Eventually, the system will use more than 300 cameras throughout the City. The Center will provide instant intelligence information 24/7 to all the public safety partners in New Orleans.
“It is important to know that progress is being made towards keeping the citizens of New Orleans and our visitors safer,” says Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. “It is encouraging to see first-hand that the Authority’s investment in the City’s safety program is already paying off.”
After little more than six months of use, officials at the Real Time Crime Monitoring Center noted that the camera program was able to contribute relevant information to more than 170 investigations.
With 1.1 million square feet of contiguous prime exhibit space, an award-winning staff and first class amenities, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is one of the largest convention center in the nation, a consistent Top 10 host of the largest number of conventions and tradeshows annually, and one of the city’s “Top Workplaces.” A leading rainmaker of the city’s hospitality industry, MCCNO event activity has produced $81.7 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.1 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments. For more info, visit www.mccno.com.
The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority’s exclusive mission is to finance, construct and operate facilities in order to attract and conduct conventions, tradeshows and other events that support and expand the economy of both the state of Louisiana and New Orleans Region. The Authority is composed of a 12-member board of commissioners, nine appointed by the Governor of Louisiana, and three appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans. Since 1985, event activity at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has produced $81.7 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.1 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments.
