A Safer City For All

Gun violence, domestic violence, drug abuse, school violence, bullying, and teen dating violence don't happen in isolation, they're connected. Fixing them means stopping violence now while also fixing what's causing it in the first place.

• OUR APPROACH:

  • A full plan to reduce violent crime, including new ways to prevent gun violence.

    • More park and recreation programs, running all year  

    • Mental health counseling, working with St. Landry Parish schools & churches

    • Programs that teach kids how to solve conflicts and stop bullying

    • Training city workers treat every neighborhood fairly

    • Helping struggling families get legal help, healthcare, and other support

  • Use Real-time technology to prevent violence before it starts and solve cases faster.

    • Building a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC)

      • Add more live security cameras in public spaces and important buildings

      • Empower residents to form neighborhood watch groups, look out for their blocks and stop crime before it starts by building stronger community bonds

    • Build a citywide Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

      • Bring together city fire, everyday citizens, and parish services so they can respond faster to emergencies

      • Give city, parish, and regional teams one shared command center during major disasters

      • Train volunteer teams to help during emergencies to respond to non-violent, non-emergency, non-criminal calls:

        • Behavioral Health Issues

          • Suicidal ideation/threat

          • Substance use crises

          • Psychiatric/Mental health crisis

        • Individual Well-Being

          • Wellness Check

          • Sleeper

          • Confused/Disoriented Person

        • Community Disturbances

          • Intoxicated Group/Drunk in Public

          • Disorderly Juvenile

          • Panhandling (Non-Aggressive)

  • Create a civilian review board to give residents a real voice in how policing works in our city.

    • Independent review of cases involving police misconduct

    • Independent review of policies that negatively affecting the community

  • Invest more city funding to hire and keep police officers and fire fighters, so both departments are fully staffed.

  • Create a Drug Nuisance Abatement Team to hold property owners accountable for illegal dumping and neglected properties.

  • Create an “Expungement and Pardons for Progress” program to remove past criminal convictions and misdemeanors from residents' records to remove any barriers to jobs, voting and full participation in society.

How We'll Measure Success

• Reduction and tracking of Homicides per 1,000 residents, including by community

• Reduction and tracking Non-fatal Shootings per 1,000 residents, including by community

• Reduction and tracking Violent Crime per 1,000 residents, including by community

• Percent of Opelousas residents who cite crime and drugs as a top two most important issue for local and state government action

• Percent of uniformed positions filled

• Percent of eligible 911 calls appropriately diverted

• Improve hiring and retention

• Building sustainable fire and police cadet program pipeline

• Strengthen and evolve Safe Streets operations and conduct updated data analysis

• Expand alternative and community-based response pathways to reduce avoidable Police and EMS calls

• Construction of Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) and citywide Emergency Operations Center (EOC)