Data has shown that crime, overall, is being neglected by the New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams and city judges. Let’s look at 2019 - there were 4,518 violent crimes committed that year and over 20,000 property crimes, which includes 2,951 motor vehicle thefts. That averages out to eighth vehicle thefts a day. Crimes like these raise the question of how the city is dealing with crimes against people opposed to property crimes. The fact of the matter is, the city isn’t dealing with the lesser crimes, which makes the city vulnerable to violent crimes. New Orleans has an incoming sheriff that wants a 500 bed jail, because the city doesn't want to pay for incarceration at all. If criminals don’t fear incarceration and arrest, then how do we beat back the criminal element?
What else is the city willing to do to reduce crime? Alternatives to incarceration are every bit as expensive. In the way it’s being run, the New Orleans criminal justice system is completely overwhelmed! If we end up with 400 additional officers tomorrow, the city’s criminal justice system is still set up to fail. Even if more crimes are solved, more cases will have to be pushed through the courts, and that’s not happening.
It’s interesting that there are no cases being heard on a Friday afternoon. Why is that? Why is there not a matrix by which we judge the District Attorney’s Office and city judges? If they're not doing the work, they should be removed from office. Just because you get elected in this country doesn’t mean you get a free ride as it relates to accountability. Also, half of the city isn’t educated about who or what they are voting for otherwise. We wonder why the city has a crime problem, when we voted these people in and got exactly what we wanted.
