From "whodunnit" to WHERE are they doing it?

According to the experts, it’s not just a myth: crime really does spike in the summer months. Former NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas says the data has consistently shown that to be true over the roughly 50 years he's been in law enforcement. While this jump in crime has often been discounted as an urban myth, Serpas says it's something Crescent City cops have to brace for year after year.

"Inexplicably ... I don't think criminologists, police, or provocateurs can explain why crime goes up in the summer without putting their own personal spin on it. But, crime does go up in the summer. It's been that way for the nearly 50 years I've done this," explained Serpas. While the issue is nothing new, the NOPD Chief says the department is taking a refreshed approach to the ongoing problem. Officers are focusing not as single-mindedly on "whodunnit", but WHERE they “dunnit”, so to speak.

Serpas says this new approach will allow the department to focus its manpower and resources on the hotspots where crime regularly occurs within the city. "These types of task forces are going to look for the very small percentage of people who want to do bad things and the very small street segments of where they do it. You get a lot of cops together and you go out there in a deliberate fashion," he explains.

Serpas notes that criminologists have used this type of hyper-focused approach for years in other parts of the country, pointing to the law of crime concentration at place. This law essentially states that a small number of spots within most cities generate the bulk of urban crime problems. By staying hyper-focused on these continually problematic areas, many law enforcement experts think this could help to crack down on criminals at a time of year when they are notoriously active in the Crescent City.