St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith along with Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandall today said they would not support a casino in Slidell because they believe it will increase crime in the parish.
“We are here saying there are other ways of revenue out there for our parish. A casino to me is not one of them,” said Smith.
Standing with Sheriff Smith on the issue is Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandall. He says policing a casino will put a strain on his department.
“We have worked with the city... they just gave us some additional personnel...we just re-did our pay plan, we have now caught up with the issues we were facing with personnel. Now with the casino possibly coming into town, which will have an adverse effect on public safety. We cannot afford that in Slidell,” said Fandall.
Sheriff Smith says based on the research he has done, a casino could bring an increase in crime.
“From statistics we’ve gathered from the FBI, it shows an increase of areas with casinos to involve human trafficking, prostitution, substance abuse, thefts, and increase in divorce, and unfortunately, an increase in suicide,” said Smith.
“We are not against gambling by no means, we just don’t want it here,” said Smith. “Go to New Orleans, go to Mississippi...they are established...they have casinos, and folks here support those casinos.”
