Criminologists agree that crime generally goes up during the summer, but one Loyola expert told WWL he is skeptical that the city’s plan for addressing the expected uptick will be effective.
Operation Golden Eagle 2, as local leaders have dubbed it, will bring back a deployment of Louisiana State Police troopers to bolster NOPD efforts in June and July. NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson touted last year’s Operation Golden Eagle as a success during a news conference last week.
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Loyola Criminology Professor George Capowich said he’s skeptical that the original Operation Gold Eagle itself was responsible for the numbers quoted by Ferguson, and he’s skeptical it will accomplish what city leaders say it will this summer.
“We’ve known at least since the 1970s that increasing random marked patrol whether on foot or in car does not have that much of a deterrent effect,” said Capowich, who said it’s because crime is not “random” and instead tends to be clustered in specific areas, at specific times.
Capowich said the usual summer crime increase is in part because warm weather means people spend more time outdoors doing various activities. That leads to more opportunities for crimes via victims and criminals crossing paths, or property being left unwatched.
A primary factor though is the end of school. Capowich said the lack of structure in teens’ lives during this period results in crimes that wouldn’t have been committed during other periods.
“They have more free time, they tend to hang out, there’s more opportunity for peer pressure and juveniles at that age have poor judgment,” said Capowich.
Capowich argued the research shows the best way to head off teen crime during this period is by investing in youth programs like summer education or sports leagues that keep kids busy. That’s because it keeps them in a structured setting that mimics their school routine.
Another point of contention from the Loyola Professor Emeritus? The city’s planned nighttime youth curfew.
“The thing with curfews is the time of day,” said Capowich. “Most juveniles, young people, commit their crimes during the day, if you have an evening curfew you are going to miss the target.”