Steven's Crime and Public Safety Plan
No city can thrive when citizens do not feel safe in their homes, at work, or sitting at a red light. Simply increasing the number of officers and over-incarceration is an outdated approach and has failed to protect us.
We must develop a holistic approach to crime with an emphasis on mental health, connecting individuals to employment opportunities, and expanding vocational training. At the same time, we must ensure that our men and women who serve and protect our city have adequate resources to solve cases, reduce and prevent crime, and stop the bleeding on our streets.
As Mayor, I will implement a Crime and Public Safety plan that invest in our first-responders, builds community trust, incorporates technology, and provide wrap-around services.
Develop a Holistic Approach to Reduce Crime, Reduce Recidivism, and Provide Alternative Opportunities:
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Strengthen relationships with local mental health providers to ensure offenders who need treatment get access to treatment and wrap-around services.
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Partner with local Mental Health Providers t0 respond to calls for crisis intervention and situation de-escalation.
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Partner with philanthropic organizations to create a Social Impact Bond program to provide youth employment and prevent ex-offenders from re-offending.
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Strengthen partnerships between our city courts, SUSLA, North Louisiana Technical College to connect offenders with opportunities to receive professional licenses and certificates.
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Adopt a “Ban the Box” initiative within the city departments in order to employ certain non-violent ex-offenders; work with and encourage private sector businesses to do the same.
Recruit, Retain, and Support High Quality Police Officers:
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Expand employee assistance program: have a wellness program that helps officers deal with alcoholism, family issues, mental health.
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Streamline recruitment and on-boarding process when hiring veteran officers from other jurisdictions.
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Provide a one-time homeownership rebate for Shreveport Police and Shreveport Firefighters who purchase a home and live in city limits.
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Work with Police Association to ensure the Police and Fire Civil Service Board is not influenced by the administration, in order to ensure proper due process.
Build Trust and Confidence in Each Neighborhood through Active Interaction with Citizens:
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Invest in ShotSpotter and Crime Cameras technology to provide real-time and rapid responses to violent crime and criminal activity in areas identified by stats as “Hot Spots.”
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Involve neighborhood leaders in weekly Comstat crime reviews with SPD. Increase citizen utilization of Next Door technology to provide instant alerts of ongoing criminal activities.
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Decentralize certain areas of SPD to build greater relationship with command staff and decrease response time. Expand existing SPAR facilities to provide community/police district level command operations.
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Support effective crime intervention organizations such as North Louisiana Family and Justice Center and CrimeStoppers.
Fight Crime by Fighting Blight:
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Work with state legislative delegation and State Supreme Court to develop a special environmental court in order to increase enforcement of blight, illegal dumping, overgrown lots, and hazardous structures.
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Increase budget for Property Standards to demolish dilapidated structures.
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Partner with organizations to maintain overgrown vacant lots and clean up illegal dumping.
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Ensure that neighborhoods have adequate lighting and outages are reported to SWEPCO.
Steven’s Track Record on Supporting Public Safety :
As a Caddo Parish Commissioner, Steven voted to support funding for local law enforcement for which allotted $500,000 to Shreveport Police Department to purchase needed patrol vehicles.
He authored the "Safe Summer" Ordinance that increased the number summer workers hired by Caddo Parish. The program also increased funding for community-oriented programs to support neighborhood pride and engage citizens.
Commissioner Jackson proposed using 21st century technology to help combat violent crime.
Commissioner Jackson has been consistently vocal about the urgent need for city leaders to develop a strategy that addresses violent crime.
