With violent crime continuing to rise in New Orleans, it would be easily to look at policing as failing in their duty to protect and serve.
But Rafael Goyeneche, who heads up the police watchdog Metropolitan Crime Commission, says the problem lies higher up the bureaucratic food chain.
Goyeneche told Newell Normand on WWL Radio that the situation needs to be placed in proper context.
“The police department with their diminished resources – right now, I think fewer than 1,000 officers – they are prioritizing their calls for service and putting all their resources into violent felony offenders, and they have little to show for it.”
Goyeneche said NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson has made the city council aware of the obstacles his officers face in cleaning up the Crescent City streets.
“When they make an arrest, the offenders are boasting they’ll be out of custody before the officer finishes their shift that day,” Goyeneche said, blaming the district attorney’s office for refusing to prosecute even the most violent offenders. “Individuals arrested for serious crimes of violence are receiving bail at levels that we used to see for some property offenders, and they’re recycling back out into the streets.”
He also said the outlook for a turnaround isn’t good.
“These trend reports we put out show that it went from good in 2019 to bad in 2020 to worse in 2021, and it’s worsening in 2022. We’re only a few days into the new year, but we’re blowing the doors off of our violent crime trends,” Goyeneche said, stating the lion’s share of the blame falls squarely at the feet of New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams.
“He’s more than willing to exercise discretion for the offender, but he’s unwilling to do so for crime victims and law-abiding citizens, to a great extent,” Goyeneche said.
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