NEW ORLEANS - The reward has been increased to $35,000 as authorities try to solve last year's slaying of a New Orleans housing agency police officer.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has added $25,000 to the $10,000 already offered by the Crimestoppers organization.

The reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who killed Officer James Bennett Jr.

Bennett, a police officer for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, was found shot to death last May in his marked police unit.

The increased reward was announced Tuesday. In a news release, New Orleans police chief Michael Harrison appealed for the public's help in solving the case.