A controversial bill under consideration in Louisiana involves whether police should be allowed to post the mug shots of people who've been arrested.
And Newell Normand knows exactly where he falls on the issue.
"I think we ought to have the right to post pictures of all of them, I think that's one of the differences of being victim centric instead of offender centric," Normand said.
The names of suspects mean nothing to neighbors, but a picture speaks a thousand words, Normand said. It also helps people to know what to look for on home security cameras, he added.
"It really works to the benefit of victims," Normand said.
He added that statistically, the faster police are able to stop people who commit property crimes, the safer the community is. The vast majority of neighborhoods are not afflicted by violent crime, only property crime.
And the way to fight that and to clear a lot of cases is to share the mug shots of suspects, Normand said.
Two years ago, Louisiana lawmakers signed into law a bill that limited the release of mug shots of people arrested and accused of crimes.
Senator Alan Seabaugh is trying to change that will a bill that allows the release of mug shots by police again. HIs bill is on its way to the full state Senate for debate.
