Monday, January 2, 2012

Chief Serpas' 12 Point Plan; or "I gotta New Toy for Christmas, Kids!"

Chief Serpas' 12 point crime fighting plan has arrived. Coming in through my email, it was a nightmare of jumbled html, and had to be corrected before reposting it here. This, of course, offers little confidence in their new "computerized" crime fighting. Perhaps if they'd just sent it in plain text, it would have been legible.

Then again, while my neighbor was calling the 5th District to report suspicious & threatening activity on her doorstep, as Mitch & Ronal keep pleading with us to do, they referred her back to the General Dispatch number, rather than take the call, even though it's in their district. The General Dispatch number agreed, refusing to do anything about it either, and referring her back to the 5th District. She explained all of this to Sergeant Cutno, at the 5th District, who had answered the phone the first time, telling her to call dispatch. Then she had to wait for him to call back, to see if a unit would ever be sent out.

No amount of computerized equipment is going to make up for the lazy, disinterested apathy of the NOPD at street level. From my own experience, I have immediately been the main suspect anytime I've called them, including while bartending during an armed robbery. Six witnesses (who were there & also robbed) described the robber as short & black, yet they came within seconds of charging me with the robbery, despite these witnesses, and the fact that I'm just over 6 feet, and Caucasian.

There have been at least half a dozen calls made about the street violence on St Claude Avenue (Item # L42745-11), yet none of this 'Laser Precision' has zeroed in on it, to date. My last call to the 5th regarding this issue was answered by laughter for several seconds before a voice said "Hello?" followed by more laughter, and then "5th District...", as though some drunk kids were answering dad's phone. They knew nothing of the events, and told me they couldn't possibly, as "the computers is down." I even emailed the Chief, along with a CC; to Kristin Palmer & Jackie Clarkson. So far? Crickets & dead air. I would suggest that Chief Serpas & Mayor Landrieu apply some high tech Boot to Ass, and get the actual members of the NOPD AWAY from computer screens and other facets of law enforcement that remove them from community interaction. The murder rate has been on a steady climb since the inception of Serpas' 'reign' and the violations of civil rights have not abated one iota since the DOJ report gave a frightening & scathing grade to what is approximately the New Orleans Brute Squad.

For opinions other than my own, one need only read this blog,
( http://carolineheldman.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/the-dangerous-nopd/ )
to get an idea of how far wrong this department has gone.

Please, take a few seconds and read this notice from the Chief. It sounds for all the world like a geek who got his favorite toy for Christmas, by convincing Mom & Dad it was needed for a School Project, when it's only really gonna be used for fantasy football & porn. Like most technology, in the right hands, it's irreplaceable. But when the homework isn't done and the team is running amok, it's tits on a bull, plain & simple. Trouble is, we're paying for Juniors New Toy, and getting killed in the process, at the highest rate in the land.

Here's Da Chief's Big Notice;


New Orleans Police Department – Public Information Office
Superintendent Serpas Releases 2012 Crime-fighting Strategy



***Plan Attached***
(January 2, 2012)-  Today Superintendent Ronal Serpas released the 2012 Crime-fighting plan for the New Orleans Police Department.


“The new police tactics we announce today, coupled with Mayor Landrieu’s Strategic Command to Reduce Homicides, give us new tools that we need to make a difference in New Orleans,” said Superintendent Serpas 


 The biggest advantage to this new strategy is the department’s ability to focus and zero-in on locations where crime trends are most prevalent, as opposed to covering broader crime areas.  New software acquired last year, which is now in place, enables the NOPD to do this.


“The 2012 refinements released today, expand upon the strength of the NOPD 65 Point Plan to re-build the New Orleans Police department by being able to utilize several state-of-the-art crime analytic software programs purchased and installed throughout 2011”, said Superintendent Serpas.


“What is noteworthy about this plan is that we now have the unparalleled ability to use laser-like focus to fight both major and minor crimes within our community.  Instead of using manpower to cover the large area of , say, a half mile,  we now have the computer intelligence and knowledge to focus at the street level, many times no bigger than four to five square blocks”, Serpas said.


As the technology becomes more familiar with all districts, the department will better understand crime trends and criminal habits, and information will be reviewed and updated to fine-tune policing strategies.


Superintendent Serpas said, “We will routinely produce maps that direct our aggressive, professional and impartial policing in the areas of our city linked by homicides, shootings, guns and drugs in ways that are supported by best practices and evidenced based policing of hot spots models used in other cities.”




“Key to the future of this department is building the professionalism of the men and women who serve with pride and dignity”, Superintendent Serpas said.
“Due to the Mayor’s and City Council’s action on the NOPD’s 2012 budget, which provides stability for planning, we look forward to reviving the Police Officer II, III and IV promotional system in a unique partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police in 2012; promoting critically needed sergeants and lieutenants to ensure that our service is the finest it can be; and, by hiring the first NOPD Training Academy of our administration in early 2012.”

Superintendent Serpas' crimefighting strategy for 2012 is attached.

( Note: While I'm sure it's clever beyond words, this power point presentation re: the New Computer Skills, wouldn't open.)

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