Caddo Commission Faces Tough Choices on Local Safety Funding

Several small communities in Caddo Parish have asked the Caddo Commission for money to help fund critical public safety needs. Commission attorney Donna Frazier told members of the Public Safety Committee “you don’t have a responsibility to help with these requests, but you have the ability to partner with other agencies through cooperative agreements. You can partner with them, but you are not obligated to do anything.”

This whole issue started several months ago when Commissioner John Paul Young suggested the parish spend $2.8 million to buy police cars for the city of Shreveport. This prompted several local agencies to also ask for help.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith also put together a wish list of things his department needs if the parish is willing to help with funding. That list did include some cars, but at the top of the list is a ROOK which is an Armored Critical Incident Vehicle (ACIV). That one piece of equipment costs $700,000 dollars. Shreveport has also asked for ballistic shields for officers. Chief Smith says the bullet proof vests currently used can not stop automatic fire.

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Committee members did say it is too late this year to approve funding for police cars. So it is likely this process will move to next year. Parish Administrator Erica Bryant is asking Commissioners to put a process in place for these kinds of requests. This would include the need, financial statements and other documentation to apply for parish dollars.

Several communities from Blanchard to Greenwood have also submitted a list of requests to the Commission. Those communities have a wide variety of needs from patrol cars, to traffic control equipment.