WEEKEND.
I WILL HAVE MORE DETAILS WHEN I COME BACK.
CHRISTINA: THANK YOU.
HAPPENING NOW, THE NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ADDRESSING THE RECENT CRIME IN OUR CITY.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT CARJACKINGS AND HOMICIDES.
LET’S TAKE A LIVE LESSON.
>> WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO STOP SOME OF THESE CRIMES THAT HAPPENED.
AS WE KNOW THESE CARJACKINGS ARE HAPPENING CITYWIDE.
AS WE GO INTO DIFFERENT AREAS WE NOTICE IT POPS UP SEVERAL OTHER PLACES.
OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO WE HAVE MADE NUMEROUS ARRESTS FOR CARJACKINGS AND ARMED ROBBERIES INVOLVING VEHICLES.
WE ALSO MADE SEVERAL ARRESTS FOR STOLEN VEHICLES WHERE WE CAN PROVE THEY ARE THE PERPETRATORS.
THEY ARE IN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLES.
WE HAVE A MEETING ONCE A WEEK THAT WE ACTUALLY GET TOGETHER WITH ALL EIGHT COMMANDERS AND WE TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT VIOLENT CRIME, ONE BEING THE CARJACKINGS, AND WE EXCHANGE
INFORMATION AS TO WHO IS HAVING ISSUES WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND HOW ARE THEY RELATED TO OTHER DISTRICTS?
DISTRICT COMMAND TALKS DAILY AS WE HAVE THESE CARJACKINGS AND WE PUT OVER THE RADIO WHENEVER WE HAVE THESE WHERE THE VEHICLES ARE SO THAT EVERYBODY IN THE CITY KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON.
WE ASKED THE COMMUNITY AS THEY SEE THINGS AND WE PUT THIS INFORMATION OUT THAT THEY ASSIST IF THEY SEE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY.
WHETHER SOMEBODY IS LINGERING IN A PARKING LOT OF A STORE WHERE WE HAD CARJACKINGS RECENTLY, FOR SOMEONE LEAVING THEIR CAR RUNNING AT A GAS STATION.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF CARJACKINGS WHERE PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR CAR RUNNING TO STEP INSIDE FOR A BRIEF MOMENT AND SOMEBODY JUMPS INTO THE CAR.
THEY GO TO RETRIEVE THEIR VEHICLE AND THEY GET INTO A PUSHING MATCH.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING AS IT RELATES TO THE CARJACKINGS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE UNDERSTAND THEY ARE ON THE UPTICK, BUT WE ARE MAKING ARRESTS OF THE INDIVIDUALS DOING THIS.
WE ARE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS IN DEVELOPING INTELLIGENCE DAILY THROUGH OUR VK UNIT IN LIAISON WITH THE DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE.
SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THESE GUYS AND GIRLS CARJACKING OUR CITIZENRY.
AS IT RELATES TO HOMICIDES WE UNDERSTAND THERE IS AN UPTICK AND THEY ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY.
I WILL LET HIM SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IT RELATES TO THE HOMICIDES.
>> THANK YOU, JOHN.
AS CHIEF, SAID HOMICIDES ARE UP IN NEW ORLEANS RIGHT NOW SO WE HAVE 189 HOMICIDES FOR 2020 COMPARED TO -- 108, I’M SORRY, FOR THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR.
HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH DISTRICT DETECTIVES AND STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE WE GET INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THESE.
WE SAW 65 SO FAR THIS YEAR AND OUR DISTRICT DETECTIVES ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR HOMICIDE DETECTIVES.
WE CONTINUE TO GET MORE AND MORE INFORMATION TO SOLVE THESE CRIMES.
THE RATE OF -- THE RATE WE HAVE SOLVED HOMICIDES IN 2020 INCREASED OVER THE LAST YEAR AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THE SOLVE RATE CONTINUES TO SLOWLY RISE AS WE GET MORE AND MORE INFORMATION
AND WORK CLOSELY WITH THE VK UNIT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MURDERS, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE CITIZENS OF NEW ORLEANS WHO SEE, AFTER DAY, CARJACKINGS?
[INDISCERNIBLE] WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR SAFETY?
>> I WOULD SAY THREE THINGS.
FIRST, GET TO KNOW YOUR POLICE LEADERSHIP.
THE CITY IS DIVIDED INTO EIGHT DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.
WE HAVE A DISTRICT COMMANDER OVER EACH OF THOSE POLICE DISTRICTS.
GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM.
WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THESE CRIMES AND SHARE INFORMATION.
GET TO KNOW YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM.
THE SECOND THING IS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS WHEN YOU’RE GOING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS, EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
BEYOND ON THE LOOKOUT BEFORE YOU PULL UP IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE OR TO GET GAS.
IF YOU SEE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS, KEEP GOING AND CALL 911.
MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY.
I THINK THE LAST AND FINAL THING IS WE HAVE OUR LIAISON WITH CRIME STOPPERS.
WE NEED INFORMATION TO SOLVE THESE CRIMES.
PEOPLE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW ON THE STREET KNOW WHO IS COMMITTING MURDERS, THEY KNOW WHO IS COMMITTING ROBBERIES, CARJACKINGS, THEY MAY HAVE EVEN SEEN THESE CRIMES.
PLEASE PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL THE NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT OR IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE CALLING US, CALL CRIME STOPPERS.
THAT IS WHY OFFICER BARNES IS HERE TODAY.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT WE GET THAT INFORMATION.
WE DO NOT HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL.
WE CANNOT LOOK INTO THAT AND SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING.
WE NEED INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC.
PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION, LET US KNOW.
CHRISTINA: SOME ADVICE FROM THE PD AS THEY TALK ABOUT MORE CARJACKINGS HAPPENING IN THE CITY AS WELL AS MORE HOMICIDES.
YOU JUST HEARD THEM TALKING ABOUT: CRIME STOPPERS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE CARJACKINGS ARE HOMICIDES, THAT NUMBER TO CALL