Finally, Shreveport Mayor Tyler took the initiative to develop a plan to address Shreveport’s ever increasing crime by her request to the City Council to fund an additional $150,000 for the Shreveport Police Department (SPD). Its unfortunate that she waited so long; thankfully Councilman Willie Bradford put public pressure on the Mayor by the introduction and passage of his resolution urging the Mayor to seek the assistance of Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator.
True to form, Tyler promised that the extra money, if approved, along with new law enforcement strategies to be implemented by SPD Chief Crump would be the miracle cure. Looking through rose tinted glasses both Tyler and Crump failed to address real issues that have existed since Tyler became mayor. The Council will most likely approve her request at its next meeting, although hopefully serious questions will be asked to the Mayor prior to that vote. Here are a few that should be pertinent to a decision on voting for the extra patrols.
What city budgets will be cut to fund this overtime money?
Will ALL of the extra funds be spent on overtime (OT) for extra patrols, that being uniformed officers driving marked SPD vehicles in neighborhoods?
Will these extra patrols require additional hours for dispatchers, supervisors
and other SPD personnel; if so, how will these hours be funded?
What is the anticipated fuel and maintenance costs for the extra patrols, and how will these additional expenses be funded?
Will the extra patrols be in all Shreveport neighborhoods, and if not, why not and which neighborhoods will get more patrols?
How many overtime hours have been worked each month this year by SPD officers, and will there be enough volunteers to work to work the extra planned patrols? If not, what other SPD services will be eliminated to shift the current OT hours to patrol OT hours?
Will the extra OT hours only be used for patrols, or will they also be involved in other law enforcement activities like responses to reported criminal activity?
Will SPD officers with desk jobs, ie not involved in hands on law enforcement activities, be moved to on the street patrol, crime response time and/or follow up crime investigations? the planned overtime patrols?