Louisiana may have been ranked as the most dangerous state in the U.S. by WalletHub, but Sheriff Randy Smith of St. Tammany Parish isn’t messing around when it comes to being tough on crime.
He joined Don Dubuc on WWL this week to discuss crime in the parish.
“I mean, with a population of about 365,000 people here in St.
Tammany, now our crime rate is very low,” he said, adding that the office solves around 92% of all crimes. Smith said that his department works to make sure potential criminals know there will be consequences.
“We want to make sure that the criminals know that we don’t play,” he said. “And if you commit a crime here, we’re going to catch it. And conviction, tough judges, a good DA’s office, and we’re not going to give you a slap on the wrist, that’s for sure. And I think that helps make the difference.”
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Smith also said there has been progress when it comes to car break-ins, particularly ones where thieves are able to steal a weapon such as a firearm.
“We have finally… we’re making a difference in seeing the car break ins here on the North Shore where people would leave their cars unlocked,” he explained. “Thieves would come out at night and just go through a neighborhood pulling on door handles. If the car was unlocked, they take anything of value out of the car. And I’d say three out of ten cars that they may hit would... they would succeed and get a weapon out of it.”
Dubuc and Smith also discussed the impact traffic circles have on crime and more. Listen to their conversation here.
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