Baton Rouge Officials Respond to The Spike in Violent Crime Over the Weekend

Baton Rouge Officials Respond to The Spike in Violent Crime Over the Weekend (1)

(CSUWorldrecord) BATON ROUGE, La. — Officials in Baton Rouge are debating remedies after a brutal weekend in which three people were killed in five different shootings.

“We’ve observed an increase in violent crime and aggressive actions in the last two years,” stated Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) spokesman L’Jean McKneely.

To combat violent crime in the neighborhood, McKneely said the police department is collaborating with partners from other departments of government.

“To address the criminal situation we’re witnessing in Baton Rouge, we’re working with our federal colleagues and our local partners,” McKneely said.

“Our crime cannot be tackled by a single agency; we must prevent it from spreading, which is why we added the method of empowering our communities to join us in saying ‘no more,'” stated Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

Last week, Broome addressed crime in her State of the City Address.

“We are dealing with a crime pandemic, a public health problem that, like COVID-19, requires a full government and community effort,” Broome added.

According to McKneely and Broome, a small handful of bad actors is responsible for a big part of the crime.

“We’ve identified certain folks in the community who we believe are driving the crime narrative,” McKneely said. “We’re going to concentrate our resources on those individuals in an attempt to figure out why they’re out there committing these crimes and then have those active participants thrown in prison.”

Broome also noted the need for courts to examine the bonds they grant to persons convicted of serious crimes because of repeat offenders.

“While law enforcement in EBR has been quite effective in apprehending bad actors (those who perpetrate violence), those same people often return to the community to either victimize others or become victims themselves,” stated Mayor-President Chief Communications Officer Mark Armstrong.

According to Armstong, the epidemic has wreaked havoc on local judicial systems, resulting in a cascade of violent crime throughout the region.

“Various mechanisms of accountability (beyond the mayor’s authority) have broken down since the outbreak. Courts are backlogged as a result of personnel shortages and fewer meetings. The services of parole and probation have been impacted. Programs for mental health, drug addiction, and domestic abuse have all been affected, according to Armstong.

The greatest method for the community to help the police, according to McKneely, is to tip the cops before or after a crime is committed.

“I think the most important thing is for the community to come forward with whatever information they may have when a crime happens,” McKneely said.

Broome pledged millions of dollars to initiatives aimed at reducing crime in the neighborhood during her State of the City Address. Among the funds are:

Special prosecutors and public defenders will get $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan to help with court backlogs.

  • $8 million from the American Rescue Plan will be used to replace BRPD police cars and other vehicles.
  • $1.8 million to improve the BRPD’s technical capabilities, which will include automatic license plate scanners and technologies for targeted community camera projects.
  • $3.3 million to deploy gun violence reduction techniques and boost community policing in high-crime neighborhoods.
  • Almost $400,000 for efforts overseen by Our East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore’s office to target juvenile criminals, gun violence, and the victims of these crimes.
  • “Bottom line,” Armstong added, “We should see a drop in violent crime if the courts and service providers are able to reinstate and reinforce their systems of accountability.”

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