(The Center Square) — As school wraps up in the summer months, juvenile crime in Caddo Parish slightly increases starting in May according to Director of Juvenile Service Andrew Randall Jr.
He said May is the highest admissions month for the detention center.
The Center Square spoke with Randall about upcoming efforts and partnerships in the parish that are ongoing to combat juvenile crime.
“We’re always, of course, working to not just be responsive to crime, particularly among juveniles, but to be preventative as well,” Randall said. “When we look at this time of year, school is letting out or getting ready to let out, and the summer will begin. That kind of intensifies our efforts. If we track just from the data points, even of last year, our highest month of admissions to the detention center was actually May.”
With children being out of school for the summer, Randall said they are putting in place events to keep kids busy and engaged. Juvenile services partners with parks and recreation as a means to give children in Caddo parish a summer experience.
The Be S.A.F.E. crime prevention initiative stands for Summer Activities in a Friendly Environment and seeks to support neighborhoods and communities in the area by offering free community events. As of now, a summer curfew is in place each night from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for those 17 and younger until August 31.
Apart from the summer programs, probation officers work with churches and other community organizations. These efforts can include Big Brother and Big Sister type programs “that help with kids who are just looking to get plugged in, or even parents, frankly, who are looking for activities for their kids,” said Randall.
According to Randall, the first quarter report for 2025 showed four top offenses for children arrested.
“We had 11 arrests for simple burglary, and 10 each for the domestic abuse battery and illegal possession of stolen things in the first quarter of this year,” Randall said. “The fourth one, I guess, because it’s related to the third, is illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile. We had eight arrests for that.”
As of May 5, reported juvenile numbers showed 14 in detention, two 17-year-olds, six in the Office of Juvenile Justice, 23 CCC and 456 probation cases. Parish Administrator Erica Bryant also reported one spot left in the Caddo Corrections Center with 1,499 filled.
With efforts still ongoing to decrease juvenile crime, statistics are reporting lower than at the beginning of the year for Caddo Parish.
