We are asking that the Louisiana National Guard remain in New Orleans until the following goals are achieved:
1. NOPD sub stations are rebuilt and restaffed in all the storm-affected areas of the city.
2. The number of NOPD officers reaches pre-storm levels.
3. FBI crime statistics show a decrease in violent crime rates.
Residents, volunteers and visitors to the city of New Orleans request your immediate attention to an urgent matter.
Crime rates across the city have skyrocketed since Hurricane Katrina. According to a Tulane University demographer, the murder rate has spiked by at least 34 percent since 2004, while assaults have surged by a whopping 53 percent and burglaries by 63 percent. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Police Department continues to struggle to recruit and maintain officers. This police shortage makes NOPD patrols in the storm-affected areas, especially in the Lower Ninth Ward and eastern New Orleans, nearly non-existent. It also pushes response times to 911 calls to an hour or more.
This is not acceptable.
After investing our time, money and heart into our homes and communities, this atmosphere of fear and abandonment inhibits the recovery our cherished city. As bad as crime is now, we can not imagine how much worse the situation will become if the Louisiana National Guard begins a phased pull out of New Orleans in June, as scheduled. Not only do we fear the chaos that surely will reign in the sparsely populated areas of the city, but we recognize that NOPD officers will be pulled from other, more populated areas to replace the guard patrols. This scenario would place all residents in even greater danger.
Therefore, we implore you to extend the stay of the Louisiana National Guard in New Orleans until the following goals are achieved:
1. NOPD sub stations are rebuilt and restaffed in all the storm-affected areas of the city.
2. The number of NOPD officers reaches pre-storm levels.
3. FBI crime statistics show a decrease in violent crime rates.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
