(The Center Square) – Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux and Councilwoman Tabitha Taylor say trust and safety are at stake in Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s request to send the National Guard to high-crime areas in the state.
Landry has sought deployment of the National Guard to Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Arceneaux said, “Stationing military troops in our city is something we must handle with care, to make sure that it does not infringe on the rights we hold dear as Americans or jeopardize the trust we are trying to create between our police officers and the community.”
Statistically, crime in Shreveport is steadily trending downward compared to last year and to where the city was five years ago. The Shreveport Police Department says there is a 29% decline in the city’s homicide rate, from 41 to 29 as of Sept. 23.
“My concern is and always will be the safety of our citizens,” said Taylor. “Their coordinated efforts have already produced real progress, and we pray for their continued safety daily.”
The Louisiana National Guard, through Lt. Col. Noel Collins in Public Affairs, in a statement said, “The mission to provide up to 1,000 Guardsmen in support of law enforcement in Louisiana is pending approval of federal Title 32 USC 502(f) funding As the LANG prepares for the orders, they will start coordination with law enforcement partners in select major urban areas for preliminary deployment.”
According to Collins, the Guard will take a “deliberate approach to preparing for and executing support to Louisiana.”
Still to be determined are what the specific mission of the Guard will be, what the Guard is authorized to do, how the Guard can work with the Police Department and other law enforcement, and how long the Guard will be deployed.
Landry said a request was sent on Sept. 29.
“Who would not want help in combating criminals on your streets?” Landry said in a network interview. “Who does not want their communities and their cities to be safe?”
