LSU Criminologist Dr. Peter Scharf is angry, more than that he’s frustrated with the plans of law enforcement, the justice system and politicians on how to stop New Orleans' spiraling crime rate.
“We have voodoo criminology directing our fate. Together with a lot of plans,” Scharf says, “One, they don’t coordinate. Two, it’s not clear that anybody is using any science to control this mayhem [it’s] a Cheshire cat going in different directions.”
Another week of violence, capped off by a weekend which saw six people shot and two killed in one incident in the St. Roch neighborhood, which has become a hotbed of violent activity and a double shooting on along the tourist heavy stretch of clubs and restaurants of Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District.
“Our murder rate over the week beat Chicago and when you beat Chicago in terms of murder you’re in trouble.”
Dr. Peter Scharf says plans being put forth by law enforcement or politicians are flawed for one basic reason: “The plans are charitably political plans,” Scharf emphasizes. They’re not really operational plans. They largely ignore the police. They won’t share information, they won’t coordinate with the police.”
Scharf says any plan that de-emphasizes the role of the police department and does not have a timetable to meet objectives will not be successful.
“Going back to my term voodoo criminology, you’ve got plans without the police. Plans of Jason Williams may have merit, but they don’t deal with this kind of crime control. Plans of the city also have merit, but offer no hope in this test of crisis.”
As New Orleans deals with another bloody weekend, the city is on track to beat last year’s rate of 202 murders.
Scharf says when you figure the murder rate per capita of population to other cities New Orleans is deadlier than Chicago.
Scharf calls these plans Charitably Political because they sound right for the time, but are not based in scientific facts and are not centered on re-establishing the rule of law and the role police play in keeping the public safe from violent crime.
“We finished the four month period with 69 murders. 69 murder, if you add six percent for summer, gets you between 215-200 murders [for the year] and this is disaster.”
From 120 murders in 2019, through 202 of 2020 to 220 potential killings for 2021, by Scharf’s calculations.