Small Towns Seek Help for Police Vehicles in Caddo Parish

Well, the requests are flowing in from several small towns in Caddo Parish. They are asking the Caddo Commission for funding to buy police cars or equipment. These requests are coming after one commissioner asked his colleagues to spend $2.8 million to buy 40 new patrol cars for the Shreveport police department.

READ MORE: See what equipment Shreveport is requesting

The Commission did not move forward with that request from Commissioner John Paul Young primarily because there had been no request from the City of Shreveport. But Mayor Tom Arceneaux told KEEL News he would certainly appreciate the help and he asked his Chief of Police to put together an urgent needs list. That list did include some police cars, but it also had several other items.

What Local Small Towns Ask for Help

Mooringsport's Police Chief has needs in the department. In a letter to the Caddo Parish Commission, Chief John McCaherty said the village currently has three vehicles - but only one is dependable. One unit is out of service due to major repairs, while another needs to be replaced. The town is asking for money to buy two used Ford Explorers, estimated at $56,000, plus another $10,000 to outfit them for police use.

The request says Mooringsport has a small tax base which makes it difficult to keep up with critical public safety needs, even as demands on officers continue.

The town of Oil City is also asking for funding from the parish. The Chief of Oil City is also asking the Caddo Parish Commission for money to improve its police fleet, which officials say is outdated and not equipped to handle rural roads or severe weather conditions.

The chief says is requesting $81,000 to purchase a side-by-side vehicle and a 4x4 Ford pickup truck. Officials say these additions would allow officers to better respond in all weather conditions and improve public safety during events and emergencies.

The police chief in Blanchard has already asked for $152,000 for two Ford SUV's for the police department. Chief Gerald Allen says "the Town of Blanchard has experienced significant growth, with its population effectively doubling in recent years and continuing to expand. As a result, the demand for law enforcement services has increased substantially."

So far, there has been no action by the Commission on these funding requests. We do expect this to come up during the public safety committee meeting in May.