Over the last few weeks, New Orleans has seen an increase in stabbings, including one that was deadly. However, local crime watchdogs say those cases aren't cause for any alarm.
"It's too early to say that's an ongoing trend," Metropolitan Crime Commission President/CEO Rafael Goyeneche said.
According to Goyeneche, stabbings in New Orleans generally fall into two categories, domestic violence and violence among the homeless. That, he says, affords police an early opportunity to narrow down a suspect.
"If it's disputes on the street with homeless people or domestic (violence), the victim knows who the offender is," Goyeneche said. "The police will take the statement of the surviving victim. They will augment that statement with any available technology, including crime cameras in the area."
All of that, Goyeneche says, helps police quickly track down those suspects before they strike again.
"That's a priority: to apprehend those offenders before you see them commit another crime of violence or retaliatory justice occurs," Goyeneche said. "The secret sauce that law enforcement has used to drive down crime: quickly identify who the offenders are and apprehend and arrest them and allow prosecutors to do their job."
Even if it's too early to declare a trend, Goyeneche says it's not too early to prevent any negative trends from happening.
"The key to breaking any ongoing trends is quickly identifying who the perpetrators are and getting them arrested and held accountable for the offense," Goyeneche said.
