Irish Channel Neighborhood Association

6^th District NONPACC meeting 05/20/2008        

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

1.         General news.

Major Bardy announced that the 12-hour shifts would be resumed in the 6^th District, probably in the second week of June. His plan is to use that to manage an extra task force that has reduced crime when used in the past.

1. Major Bardy said that over 200 young people attended the Job Fair at the Dryades YMCA on May 10 and 30 vendors offered jobs. He believes this type of community involvement is essential to overall crime reduction in the area.
2. Major Bardy announced plans for a Youth Against Violence march to be held June 21. Marchers will meet at City Hall at 10 a.m. and march to Jackson Avenue, with the end of the march being the Mahalia Jackson Elementary. Following the march the new playground at Mahalia Jackson will be officially dedicated. The playground was built by KaBoom! and the National Basketball Association’s charitable organization.

2.         Irish Channel news.

a.       An Irish Channel resident asked about foot patrols in the Irish Channel. Major Bardy replied that every officer in his command does at least one hour of foot patrol a day, including Major Bardy. Major Bardy sees the foot patrols as a means of community involvement. He said that there are no set beats for the foot patrols but that they move with the crime patterns. Once the 12-hour shifts resume, the foot patrols will concentrate on trouble areas in the Irish Channel, among which he listed the area bounded by 8^th, Tchoupitoulas, 9^th and Chippewa streets.

b.      In response to a question about two robberies, one in the 1000 block of 8^th Street and another in the 1100 block of 8th, Lieutenant Lohman said that he believes them to be unrelated and they have developed suspects and are close to closing both incidents.

c.       In response to a question about two other recent robberies, one in the 2200 block of Laurel Street and another in the 2200 block of Magazine, Lieutenant Lohman said that he believes them to be related and they have developed suspects

d.      In response to a question about the crime cameras, Lieutenant Lohman said that the service has improved as a direct result of recent newspaper and television reporting. There are 40 cameras in the 6^th District and most work, but there are still technical difficulties on a daily basis.

e.       Forty gunfire sensors have been deployed in the 6^th District and the hardware to manage the sensors is now being installed in 6^th District Headquarters and in patrol cars. The sensors cover the area bounded by Martin Luther King Boulevard, Claiborne Avenue, Louisiana Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street. The new technology promises an immediate response to gunfire within that area and it is supposed to determine the source of gunfire within seven seconds of sensing.3.         Next meeting.

The next NONPACC meeting will be on June 17, 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.