Irish Channel Neighborhood Association

6^th District NONPACC meeting 11/15/2007        

The meeting was led by Captain Robert Bardy, and other 6^th District officers were in attendance. Roughly a dozen community members attended.

A.         General news.

1. Capt. Bardy announced that the Channel 6 news at 6 p.m. on November 16 (Friday) will show a feature focusing on the “Quality of Life” officers at the 6^th District, Officer John Favaloro and Officer Joseph Joia.
2. Capt. Bardy expressed thanks to the community for their support at the Walk The Beat function in October.
3. The 6^th District organized the Central City Job Fair in October, believed to be the first such event held in Central City. Twenty-five companies participated and over 300 community members attended, at least two of which were hired on the spot, according to Capt. Bardy. He has been following up with the companies to find out how many total jobs were filled as a result of the job fair and is also collecting their feedback on ways to improve the next job fair. He hopes to add training in resume writing, interviewing and other job skills.
4. Church of the King, which has been operating in New Orleans post-Katrina, has enlisted the 6^th District’s help in distributing 25 Thanksgiving dinners to the community. These baskets will go to needy families, the elderly, shut-ins etc. Another partner has committed to an additional 25 baskets. Anyone who would like to help with assembly or delivery of these baskets is encouraged to call the 6^th District at 658-6060.
5. The 6^th District will host “Christmas at the Sixth 2007” on Saturday, December 15, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the 6^th District headquarters at 1930 Martin Luther King Boulevard. Toys will be given to needy children and the 6^th District will be serving a hot lunch. Anyone who would like to help with the event or make a donation of toys or funds is encouraged to call Officer Favaloro at 658-6127.
6. The 6^th District restructured to 12 hour shifts last month, with officers working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Capt. Bardy asked and received permission to have another shift, from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m He reports that this special shift has contributed to a significant reduction in reported crime in the 6^th District and other districts are looking at implementing the additional shift in their districts.
7. A new class is graduating from theNew Orleans PoliceAcademy next week and another good-sized class will graduate soon thereafter. Capt. Bardy is confident that a fair number of new officers will be made available to the 6^th District.

B.         Follow-up on specific crimes.

1. In response to the assault on a neighborhood resident at Jackson and St. Charles Avenues in which the victim was shot in the jaw, Crimestoppers has increased their reward for information on this crime to $5,000. New tips have been collected by the 6^th District and they have developed several suspects. At this point, they are waiting for the victim to recover sufficiently to be able to work with police on identifying the perpetrators.
2.  In response to the shooting in the 800 block of First Street, Capt. Bardy reported that the 6^th District has followed several leads but has not made meaningful progress. Efforts are ongoing and the case remains a high priority.
3. A resident was recently assaulted in the 3300 block of Annunciation.  The 6^th District is working with the victim and will report progress as achieved.

C.         Public comments at the meeting.

1. One person present reported a regular problem at the tattoo shop in the 1500 block of Magazine Street, near Dat’s Grocery. The problem involves large crowds, drinking, and great deals of noise. Capt. Bardy noted the problem and promised to address it.
2. A similar problem was reported at the Saint Bar on St. Mary Street. The community member expressed dissatisfaction with the 6^th District’s response and provided details to support his claim. Capt. Bardy promised to assign an Integrity Officer to the case and would follow up on the matter.

D.         Next meeting.

The next NONPACC meeting will be on January 15, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Convention and Visitors Bureau at 2020 St. Charles Avenue. The regular meeting time will be on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. for the foreseeable future.