Shreveport Mayor Will Not Declare Emergency on Crime

SHREVEPORT, LA - Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux has been mulling a resolution from the City Council urging him to declare a state of emergency because of crime. Arceneaux has now made his decision. He has sent the council a detailed explanation of his decision.

Arceneaux says he has studied the crime stats and he says "despite the increases in homicides and thefts from autos, the report discloses that overall crime is down in 2023 compared to prior years." The Mayor adds that the violent crime index for November 2023 year to date is 1322, down from 1379 in 2022, 1576 in 2021 and 1608 in 2020.

Arceneaux has also told the council he does not believe there are any resources available to the city that an emergency order would free up. He says Shreveport Police is already working with several area agencies to address crime. He also says the city  has 43 active grants in place to address crime issues across the city.

What Is the Mayor's Decision on and Emergency?

Arceneaux says "while the rate of shootings and homicides are both unacceptably high, neither the facts nor the statistics support declaring and emergency." He adds "for these reasons, I can not determine any practical impact of such a declaration. Thus, I respectfully decline to declare an emergency."

The council unanimously passed a resolution urging the mayor to declare an emergency. But some critics have said this is just a PR stunt. But Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor has said she wants to do whatever is possible to put a stop to violent crime in our neighborhoods.