More offensive elements in New Orleans

While the Mayor of New Orleans and some of its more vocal citizens may be basking in success regarding the City Council’s vote to remove the statues and monuments that pay homage to members of the Confederacy, one has to wonder when these same individuals are going to demand that Mayor Landrieu and crew make some real changes to address the entire crime panorama in the city.

We are already aware of the out-of-control crime that exists within the walls of the city, but recent media reports now indicate that the police department can’t even realistically respond to 911 calls for help.

Tracking data indicated that in 2011 the average response time was 15 minutes. Mayor Landrieu’s response to these findings was, “This is unacceptable and we are putting plans into effect to deal with the problem.”  If this response sounds familiar, it should, for this is the pat statement always uttered when the media points out some of the tragic realities which exist in “the city that care forgot.”

Apparently Landrieu and the city council along with his chief-of-police have no clue how to “deal with the problem” because a more recent study of 911 response times indicates that 73 minutes is the new average norm for 2015.   The police chief’s response to these latest dismal stats was his usual, not enough officers.  However, neighboring Jefferson Parish has approximately 200 fewer officers and their average 911 response times are under 5 minutes, and they are responding to more calls.

Additionally, New Orleans 911 response times seems to vary by where you live.  If you happen to reside in the more affluent parts of the city like Uptown and some sections of Mid-city, 911 response times are less than for those residing in New Orleans East and Gentilly.

The New Orleans police chief is concerned that the reporting of such stats is extremely beneficial to the criminal element in the city and would prefer them not to be released.  I doubt that those relying on the police force to provide protection would agree with such logic.

If some  residents of New Orleans found the memorials to the Confederacy offensive and demanded their removal, perhaps it’s time for all the citizens of New Orleans to consider other offensive elements in the city that need removal, namely those individuals incapable of developing a strategic plan to provide an effective protective service for its residents.