CRIME NUMBERS DOWN - Crime is down in Shreveport - that’s the official word from the Mayor’s Office and the Shreveport Police Department. The announcement came at joint press conference yesterday afternoon. During his opening remarks, Mayor Perkins said reducing crime was a key point of his campaign for the City’s top job.
"I campaigned on a platform where public safety was a top priority,"Perkins explained. "Today we're super excited to announce the numbers for the end of year crime report for 2019 and it shows that 2019 was one of the safest years in Shreveport history."
Part 1 crimes fell for 2019 – those include, homicide, rape, robbery, burglary and theft, auto theft, assault and battery. These fell 8 percent over the past year, reaching their lowest point since 1975. Comparing 2019 Part 1 crimes to the year 1989 when they were at their highest – Perkins explained the difference was a 60% drop. Mayor Perkins credited more community policing as a major factor in reducing Shreveport crime.
"When our Shreveport police officers work with community, it makes our neighborhoods safer and our city stronger," Perkins said.
Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond added that an increased police presence in the community made a difference.
"Adding more officers to patrol duties, this was done in part by reducing personnel assigned to specialized units,"explained Raymond. "but more effectively by implementing a supplemental patrol group program."
According to the announcement -- the city’s homicide rate has dropped 29% and number of Shreveport Police Department’s homicides cleared or solved has increased by 19 percent over the past year. Shreveport’s homicide clearance rate was 73 percent in 2019, which is 9 percent above the national average.
