Despite recent high-profile murders in Baton Rouge and the mayor-president’s newly announced crime initiative, the city’s crime rate is actually lower now than it was at this time last year, and experts say the University should not be overly concerned.
Baton Rouge has seen a decrease in violent crimes since this time last year with a 5 percent decrease in homicides alone, Baton Rouge Police Department Chief of Police Jeff LeDuff, who will retire Dec. 31, said at a news conference Oct. 7.
But two recent murders have raised public concern, including that of Darius Augustus, 17, an innocent bystander who was shot and killed while on the levee in early October, and Alexandra Engler, 42, who was shot and killed during a September home invasion and whose daughter was also shot but survived.
According to Ed Shihadeh, criminology professor, the number of reported crimes does not indicate an emergency.
“The numbers do not show we are in a state of emergency. It would have to be worse than last year,” he said. “But what’s different about those murders is that the victims were what the public perceives as truly innocent people.”
Shihadeh said people are less likely to feel sympathy for victims involved in illegal or questionable activities like dealing drugs, but the two recent murders were a different circumstance.
“These people didn’t do anything to increase their odds of being murdered,” he said. “These were truly predatory crimes involving innocent victims.”
Despite the horrific nature of the crimes, Shihadeh said the public has no more reason to be concerned than last year.
“These are very emotional crimes, so all it takes are one to two horrible cases, and people are going to react emotionally,” he said. “It’s subjective.”
East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden announced a new parish-wide crime initiative Oct. 7 that will combine BRPD officers with state troopers, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s deputies and agents from the District Attorney’s Office in a collaborative effort to prevent crime.
Shihadeh said the initiative is a sensible and good-intentioned response but will most likely have limited effects.
“It’s not going to make much of a difference,” he said. “Blaming police for crime is like blaming the doctor because you got cancer.”
Shihadeh said crime is a result of social problems, particularly poverty and lack of education.
“These things usually find their way into expression through violence,” he said.
Shihadeh said it’s important to look at crime patterns across several years and not just from year to year.
“Overall, violent crime is on the rise, largely due to the ferocious recession,” he said. “My prediction is that we are returning to the bad old days of crime of the late ’80s.”
Despite these issues, Sgt. Blake Tabor, LSUPD spokesman, said the University usually doesn’t feel the same effects as the rest of the city.
“We are a concentrated area, and we’re afforded several opportunities that allow us to be more proactive,” Tabor said. “A lot of it has to do with the proactive patrols we provide.”
Tabor said city policing is much more demanding.
“We have a low call volume that probably pales in comparison [to that of city police],” he said. “We are in a completely different element from city police. Once 8 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.] is over, our numbers are cutting in half, whereas in Baton Rouge, people live in the same areas they work.”
But Tabor said he hopes the recent crime will make students more cautious.
“Our hope is that students are becoming more observant and being more aware of their surroundings,” he said.
Shihadeh said the University should fear potential budget cuts to higher education and their effect on crime.
“Poverty and education go together,” he said. “If you cut funding to education, you’ll pay for it on the other end. It’s no coincidence that Louisiana has one of the highest crime rates in the nation.”
Shihadeh said continued cuts to public schools, including higher education, will likely result in increased crime.
“There’s no question about it. If we don’t educate our children and young adults, they won’t have certain opportunities,” he said. “That has a direct relationship with crime.”
 
 
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Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]