I was in New Orleans  for a week once and My first bit of advice is change your characters skin color. Secondly; if her father is a policeman then he is , or knows police that are taking payoffs from neighborhood gangs. Police will do very little because they have families to protect. Here in the US it is mandatory that a policeman live in the town where his job is located. Although, some friends of mine do rent a place and acually live elsewhere.