SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — Shreveport police seized one gun for every 190 of the city’s residents last year.
And the Police Department’s various units made 5,090 arrests for an average of about 14 a day. Those include 2,677 felonies and 2,413 misdemeanors.
These numbers and more come to light in the State of the City report Mayor Tom Arceneaux made public Thursday (Feb. 15).
In 2023, there also were:
- Almost 14,000 citations issued (more than 38 a day);
- About 10,000 traffic stops made (an average of 192 a week);
- 671 DWI arrests (almost two a day);
- 32 crash fatalities; and,
- 23 stolen vehicles recovered.
One more tidbit: The property room destroyed 116 guns and about 134 pounds of drugs.
And, yes, there were 74 homicides in the city in 2023.
“Because of the 74 homicides in the city in 2023, crime may be the proverbial elephant in the room,” Arceneaux wrote. “Every homicide is a tragic event, especially if the victim is a child or an innocent bystander or if it results from domestic violence.
“Even so, most of 2023′s homicides appear to involve people who know each other, and some appear to be motivated by revenge for other homicides or other violence.”
Police have made arrests in 30 of those 74 homicides and have identified suspects in another 13, the mayor said.
To attempt to bolster the ranks of the Police Department, the city’s 2024 budget includes $160,000 for recruitment efforts. The Police Department will be able to offer a $7,200 bonus for new hires and a $10,000 bonus for lateral transfers of Police Officer Standard Training (POST)-certified officers, in addition to state incentives.
The 2024 budget also includes a 3% raise for police officers in addition to the state-mandated 2% increase, and significant increases in incentives for physical fitness, firearms proficiency and education.
Crime is just one of five areas of concern Arceneaux raises in his 23-page State of the City report. He says there also needs to be action in 2024 on blight, zoning and permits, litter and the sewer consent decree. Following is what he has to say about each.
Blight: “Shreveport, especially its inner core, still has too much blighted property. The city intends to initiate criminal proceedings against owners of substandard buildings. In addition, the administration will introduce vacant property registration legislation to require owners of vacant properties to maintain the properties to a minimum standard, as well as a blight lien ordinance that would permit the city to foreclose on properties without demolishing them, hopefully resulting in the restoration of more properties and the demolition of fewer properties.”
Zoning and permits: “The administration intends to act on the recommendations of the Small Business Task Force to enact changes in the permit and zoning processes to make them more user-friendly and streamlined. This will help spur economic growth and development in Shreveport.”
Litter: “Despite greater funding for litter abatement, many people in our city continue to litter our streets. We must examine enforcement means and techniques to dissuade litterers.”
Sewer consent decree: “Among the city’s largest obligations are the requirements of the 2014 Consent Decree that requires the elimination of most or all of the issues with the city’s sewer lines, especially to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), when stormwater causes the sanitary sewer to overflow. Despite an initial cost estimate of $300 million, the city has already spent more than $500 million, with much work left to complete. The city has resolved one financial penalty claim, and it is negotiating to change the plan and extend the time deadlines for achievement of the plan. The city hopes to conclude those negotiations successfully in 2024. A successful negotiation would reduce the pressure to increase sewer rates over the next few years.”
Below is the mayor’s State of the City report in its entirety:
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