(The Center Square) – A map released by the Shreveport Police Department shows shots fired calls by district, with District 9 having 36 in the last 30 days.
Recent crime reports provide in-depth details about the shots fired in the city. As of July, the department had received 1,245 shots-fired calls this year.
This number has steadily ticked down since 2021, when the department reported 2,968 shots-fired calls, almost 60% more than this year. In 2022, the department reported 2,078; in 2023, there were 1,761 and a reported 1,621 in 2024.
Police Chief Wayne Smith told the Shreveport City Council during the Public Safety Committee meeting that each incident counts as one, regardless of the number of shots fired in that incident.
“If it’s a gunshot that’s fired in city limits, it’s counted as an incident,” said Smith. “And keep in mind, during the month of July is probably one of the highest months because of the Fourth of July and reported weapons being fired in our city.”
Smith clarified that if someone hears something that they believe to be a gunshot, they investigate with the most serious intent. However, even if they discover it is not a gunshot but a firework, it is still reported as a shots fired call.
According to a shots-fired map, in the last 30 days, the department received roughly 257 calls. When breaking these down by district, District 1 had 18 shots fired calls, District 2 had 4, District 3 had 15, District 4 had 26, District 5 had 21, District 6 had 14, District 7 had 27, District 8 had 21, District 9 had 36, District 10 had 19, District 21 had 28 and District 12 had 28.
According to Smith, some calls may be duplicates if two citizens call about the same shot fired.
“Many of them I would venture to say are duplicate calls, unless an operator can determine you live next door to each other and both of you call in within minutes of the same incident,” said Smith. “So, as long as there’s a separate incident number registered for that call into the 911 system, it’s treated as a separate call.”
District 1 is in the Martin Luther King area, District 2 is Cherokee Park, District 3 is Lakeside-Allendale, District 4 is the Highland area, District 5 is Broadmoor, District 6 is part of Broadmoor and Elby Road, District 7 is Queensborough, District 8 is the Mooretown area, District 9 is the West Shreveport Pine Road area, District 10 is the Sunset Acres area, District 11 is West Cedar Grove and Cedar Grove and District 12 is the Southern Hills area.
The three highest districts were Districts 9, 11 and 12. The data measured the past 30 days, stopping on July 18.
“We look at all of this data, because we are data-driven,” said Smith. “That helps us to devise a strategy. District 9 seems to be leading the charge in reported shots fired. Well, as managers, we know from that, our efforts need to focus on that area.”
