Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman has defeated challenger Charles Foti to win re-election.
The race centered on the conditions at the city's jail. The U.S. Justice Department has said the Orleans Parish Prison is a chaotic, dangerous facility that is understaffed.
Gusman says the jail is close to being transformed and he told voters he wanted to see the problems fixed. Foti also vowed to fix the issues.
The sheriff has authority over roughly 2,000 inmates and more than 700 employees.
City and sheriff's office officials are due in federal court next week to work out the city's contribution toward a federal consent decree to improve the jail.