It’s good news that the big city next door is getting an army of troops in to quell the increasing elements of crime that invaded as many former residents returned and new people arrived in the aftermath of Katrina. The murder rate is still much smaller than pre-Katrina but that is only because there are still much fewer people there. The killing of five people this past weekend shocked city and state officials to the point of sending in the Louisiana Guard and state troopers.
This hopefully will scare the living daylights out of the criminals. But the next question is, will they stay and mind their manners or will they go to a nearby, less guarded place to do their dirty work? Like St. Charles Parish?
The possibilities certainly deserve the interest of local authorities. And other parish residents also can be on the lookout for unusual activity that could have a less than honorable objective.
Though New Orleans has only half its usual population, the land area is still the same as before. Which of course means that its present reduced police force still has the same amount of territory in which to maintain order. As a result, there have been a lot of lootings in areas of destruction where people have not returned and there are no police nearby to prevent it.
Most of the murders have been in Central City, the same place they occurred before Katrina. With the additional guardsmen and state police there to help patrol the entire city, local police can concentrate more on the drug-infested areas that produce the violent crimes.
In the meantime, let’s make sure those criminals don’t try to hide out in nearby areas. Like St. Charles.
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