Sworn to Serve is a podcast of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office under the leadership of Sheriff Susan Hutson. Each episode will take listeners inside the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office with the first woman ever elected sheriff in New Orleans and the first black woman to be sheriff in the state of Louisiana. Hutson addresses the root causes of incarceration and advocates for alternative solutions. She challenges the systems and structures as she works to reform them from the inside. The show features guests who explain their work in the agency and what it means to be sworn to serve.
Investing in Safety: The Facts About the Millage Renewal
In this special episode, we’re taking you inside a powerful community conversation held at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church — where Sheriff Susan Hutson and members of our leadership team spoke directly with residents about the Safe and Strong Communities Millage Renewal.
This millage is not a new tax. It’s a renewal that will appear on the May 3, 2025 ballot as Proposition 1, and it helps fund more than 20% of OPSO’s budget — supporting public safety operations, staffing, emergency response, and rehabilitation programs that make our city stronger and safer.
This episode is about transparency, community, and making sure you have the facts before heading to the polls.
19 Feb 2025
Chaos on Bourbon: First Responder Accounts from the January 1st Attack
The early hours of January 1st, 2025, marked a night of terror on Bourbon Street. A devastating attack left victims injured, bystanders in shock, and first responders in a race against time to restore order and provide aid. In this special episode of Sworn to Serve, we sit down with Detective Charles Morgan, who played a crucial role in rendering aid to victims in the immediate aftermath. We also hear from members of the OPSO Intake and Processing Team who were stationed at the mobile booking bus, processing arrests while the chaos unfolded just blocks away. Through their firsthand accounts, we’ll gain an inside look at the heroic efforts, the emotional toll, and the moments that defined that night. This episode will be raw, emotional, and eye-opening, revealing the unseen sacrifices and split-second decisions that define law enforcement in times of crisis.
14 Jan 2025
Addressing Mental Health to Build Safer Communities
Sheriff Susan Hutson and Dr. Corey Hebert discuss how addressing mental health challenges in New Orleans can create a safer, more equitable future by tackling root causes of crime and systemic failures in mental health services.
18 Apr 2024
Right to Education: "When you give kids the tools... they take advantage of it"
On this episode we are learning more about the school operating inside the Orleans Justice Center that is giving young people hope from behind bars. We hear from Byron Goodwin, Director of the Travis Hill School (https://www.travishillnola.org/), who shares about the school’s recent success locally and nationally,
their partnership with OPSO and the work their doing in the community. OPSO is the only facility in the US that has a traditional high school.
1 Feb 2024
Deputy on Duty: Navigating the Road to Compliance & to Mardi Gras
On this episode OPSO is getting ready to roll for Carnival season. As residents and visitors prepare to hit the parade routes, OPSO is finalizing the second annual Operation Mardi Gras plans to provide security along the routes. We hear from Major Silas Phipps, the Director of OPSO’s Compliance and Accountability Bureau who shares about supporting the agency's road to federal compliance. He also discusses managing the logistics for the large-scale Mardi Gras operation to welcome more than 200 officers and deputies from 18 different agencies to New Orleans to support with parade route security.
14 Dec 2023
"He saved that young man’s life when he was at a low moment"
On this episode we are taking a look at the OPSO Youth Programming that is touching the lives of children and teens in our city. We hear from Ahmad Vitatoe who was once an OPSO Young Marine and now oversees the program. We also talk to Sgt. Altrice Taylor who leads the D.A.R.E program and is working in five New Orleans schools to teach the curriculum.
30 Nov 2023
Free phone calls & tablets in jail??? Let's weigh the cost.
On this episode we invite Bruce Reilly the Deputy Director of Voice of the Experienced to share about his work with those in custody and the advocacy work VOTE is doing. We discuss how free phone calls and access to tablets can help curb jail violence and why the sheriff is asking the City Council for a $13-million budget increase.
9 Nov 2023
"The jail is a defacto mental health institution. We have to change that."
On this episode, we discuss the mental health needs of the current jail population with outgoing Warden Dr. Astrid Birgden. We learn about the programming being implemented to address the population's needs, discuss the results of a recent consent monitor report, and sheriff explains why she believes compliance can be achieved under her leadership.
26 Oct 2023
Year of Transition: "A leader has to model the way"
On this episode, we discuss the transition year after Sheriff Hutson took office, and she explains why she hired a clinical psychologist as the Warden. We also hear from Dr. Astrid Birgden, who has worked as the warden at the Orleans Justice Center for the past 18 months. We learn about the work done to introduce a new mission and vision and create a model of change that supports deputies and provides humane services for those in custody. Dr. Birgden also answers questions about why OPSO calls people in jail residents.
12 Oct 2023
"Our Creator moved me to be here... to challenge these systems"
In this first episode, we give you a look into Sheriff Susan Hutson's journey to becoming the first woman ever elected sheriff in New Orleans and the first black woman to be sheriff in the state of Louisiana. We'll address concerns about the rising jail population and how we're working to tackle this problem with our partners. Then we will talk to Capt. Stephanie Minto with the OPSO Crime Victim Reparations Unit about the agency's efforts to raise awareness about domestic violence in our community and in our homes.
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Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
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Quality
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Social presence
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YouTube
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Engagement
32
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