Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: Jan 13, 2010

Phone: (318) 525-5066 Fax: (318) 673-6933

Contact: Cpl. Bill Goodin, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crime rates continue to drop in Shreveport

The final results are in, the numbers have been added up, and the Shreveport Police Department is proud to report that overall crime numbers continued to drop in 2009. The Violent Crime Index was down 5% and the Property Crime Index was down 2%.

With 37 homicides reported in 2009, Shreveport has experienced a slight increase from the 34 murders in 2008, but is still below the 40 homicides reported in 2007. Robberies and burglaries are up slightly from the 2008 totals. Aggravated assaults and batteries were down 12% when compared with last years numbers. Thefts were down 3% as well as auto thefts, which were down 25%.

2009 saw several initiatives instituted by Police Chief Henry Whitehorn. In April, the newly formed Community Response Unit was debuted as a tool to proactively address emerging crime patterns and their efforts have been lauded by neighbors throughout Shreveport. In addition to the Community Response Unit, there were several “Closed Market” operations throughout the year that increase the number of officers on the street by giving officers who might have administrative duties an opportunity to hit the streets and address specific crime problems. Operation T-BONE, which pairs police community liaison officers with property standards inspectors, continues to be a success.

Chief Whitehorn praised his department, saying, “The men and women of the Shreveport Police Department have continued to maintain their focus on fighting crime in our city and these overall reductions are a testament to their efforts.” Chief Whitehorn also cited collaboration with other governmental agencies as a major contributor to the continuing downward trend for overall crimes. “I think it is obvious that Mayor Glover and our City Council have made fighting crime a top priority, and the citizens of Shreveport benefit from that commitment,” said Chief Whitehorn, adding, “I just can’t speak highly enough of the agencies that work with us to make Shreveport a better place to live: the City of Shreveport’s Property Standards Bureau, the Shreveport City Marshal’s Office, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshal’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration have all helped us tremendously. And, as always, I must recognize the citizens we are sworn to serve and protect….our relationships with the good folks who live and work in our communities are of the utmost importance to us and we work very hard to build partnerships with the neighborhood watch groups and neighborhood associations that are such a large part of our crime reduction strategies.”

The Shreveport Police Department is always looking forward and 2010 is no exception. While the statistics from 2009 continue to show decreases in overall crime indices, we believe these numbers can drop even further. Towards that end, Chief Whitehorn is working closely with his command staff and other community leaders to implement new and innovative initiatives to address crime in our city.

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View all SPD press releases at www.shreveportla.gov