| By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor
JUDGE NOT: Under fire for blowing deadlines to charge violent crime suspects, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said last week he would tap two former judges to help screen cases for prosecution. But it turns out that one of them, Julian Parker, is ineligible to practice law, because he hasn't paid his Louisiana Bar Association dues or kept up his legal education since 2016.
THE THINNING BLUE LINE: The halting efforts over the past several years to restock and grow the New Orleans Police Department have failed to produce any lasting gains. Officer departures have accelerated since the start of 2021, slipping the force to its lowest point in several decades as violent crime surges anew. Whether more officers would mean less crime is doubtful, analysts caution, but the mounting losses and effect on season and response times have begun to lay bare New Orleans' reliance on police officers to do work that many seem to no longer want.
WHEELED OUT: Tried to buy a car lately? Because of a computer chip shortage and other factors, new cars have been in short supply for much of the past year. When new cars aren’t available, used cars aren’t either. So they ones that are, cost about 30% than they did just a year ago.
Thanks for starting your Sunday with us. Check the latest news all day at NOLA.com. D.B. | 
