New data on crime in New Orleans reveals a decrease in the murder rate, though violent crime is still high. Funding, difficulty hiring more officers, and better education are just a few issues police departments face in America. Former New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas spoke to Newell Normand about the concerns he has, given the latest crime numbers for the city he once protected.
“Where do we stand with the crime picture here in the city of New Orleans?” Newell asked.
“It seems that the murder rate has slowed and it's still up six percent. That's not good news. Carjacking is still up 60 percent, non-fatal shootings are up 42 percent,” Serpas said. “Those in-your-face crimes where people are dying, being shot at, or having property stolen by firearm are still dramatically high this year and they were dramatically high last year. It's a significant concern. Until the city council decides to fund policing and fund extra classes, the citizens of New Orleans East, St. Roch and the Ninth Ward, who have lived with this for years, are going to continue to question how’s it going to get better.”
“With a 30 percent increase in murders reported by the FBI thus far this year, what does that indicate to you as to what's going on across the country right now?” Newell asked.
“It's the biggest one year jump in murders since it was reported in 1960. I don't think it's fair to blame it on any one thing. We see the same types of murders that we've seen before, young men killing each other with massive gun power. When you and I were young cops, the murder number was believed to be the most accurate statistic, because people ended up finding those who they'd been missing. Other crimes are reported about half the time. Crime fear is faster than crime reporting. So I'm not too concerned. I'm not too convinced that 2020, with all the pandemic issues in crimes, other than murder, would represent a meaningful decrease in crime. People are afraid of crime. They're in front of the crime stats. We'll see what comes.” Serpas said.
“As society opens back up, my expectation is that we're going to go right back to the numbers that we've been experiencing for years,” Newell said.
“I think that's absolutely likely because the other core issues that drive a lot of the crime problems have not changed. Here's something crucially important: Police departments should follow the science of policing techniques proven to work by the National Academy of Sciences. They said that proactive policing works. It doesn't displace crime. It actually creates a halo effect around the targeted hotspot area. What does not work and has never been proven to work is reactive policing, meaning the police are staffed and motivated to only respond to those calls that are occurring,” Serpas said.
“When I was Sheriff, my administration was tired of re-arresting the same people over and over again. We built and financed a social detox facility for years, but with the 2008 financial crisis, we had to cut the program because there really wasn't a political will to go down that path. There are not many advocates for that kind of proposition,” Newell said.
“What's happened...whether it be Democrat or Republican in charge of the House or the Senate or the White House, there has been no fix to the mental health problems in America since 1963, except to say, well, call 911... that's not ever been the right answer."
“We're hearing from law enforcement leaders across the country that there are not enough candidates to fill the open positions. I looked at some reports and most recent enrollments, and I didn't see this much in Louisiana.
“In the summer of 2020 several major cities said they would fund the police because leaders in their communities said, we want less police. You and I both know there's a huge difference between leaders who find microphones and leaders who really lead. Now, a year later, almost all of those major cities are asking for more budget authority to hire more police officers. Policing has always been seen as a blue collar job, which requires entry-level education of a high school diploma. Some cities required a college education, but many of them have backed off of it. The thing that's so ironic, is the research suggests a way to reduce the use of force is through hiring better educated officers. Better educated officers use less force. Until we get that reconciled, and until we quit finding reasons to vilify the police by self-appointed leaders, as opposed to real leaders, I think it's going to continue to be a bit of a challenge.” Serpas said.
Hear the entire interview in the audio player below.
