NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson on Monday (April 8) touted a series of arrests in which teens have been booked on charges ranging from auto burglary to attempted murder.
“We want to reassure our community that we are vigilant, we are aware and we are staying the course,” Ferguson said.
So far this year, overall rates for homicides and armed robberies are down in comparison to the same timeframe in 2018—but Ferguson said the city has seen an increase in juvenile crime during at least the past two weeks.
Of particular concern: the crimes involving juveniles have “escalated from auto burglaries to auto thefts to now, perhaps, armed robberies,” Ferguson said.
In answer to a reporter’s question, the superintendent said investigators believe the two gunmen who carjacked a city councilwoman’s father at gunpoint Sunday are both juveniles, adding that it’s especially “concerning” that both were armed.
“I think juveniles are bold and brazen this day,” Ferguson said. “That’s why we have to be bold in our actions to let them know this will not be tolerated, this will not be accepted.”
The NOPD did not have numbers readily available to compare juvenile crime or juvenile arrests during the first few months of this year versus this time last year.
Ferguson said the department has arrested nearly 240 juveniles thus far in 2019 and cited a slew of recent arrests:
• Two juveniles and an 18-year-old were arrested Friday after NOPD officers in the St. Roch area chased a vehicle reported stolen in an armed carjacking.
• Officers working in the Audubon area Wednesday night captured four juveniles and an adult accused in a string of auto burglaries—and an auto theft in which a 13-year-old boy was driving a stolen vehicle.
• Police in New Orleans East in recent weeks have booked two juveniles with attempted murder and others with armed robbery, Ferguson said during a news conference at NOPD headquarters.
In recent weeks, the NOPD also tried to pull over a stolen car occupied by two underage teens. The driver refused to stop and ultimately crashed into a Broadmoor area salon and beauty supply store. The two teens and a salon customer were killed, and the business was destroyed in the crash and ensuing three-alarm fire, which may have involved a “possible violation” of NOPD chase policy.
The NOPD on Monday said that over the weekend two boys, ages 14 and 15, were booked with illegal possession of stolen things after police found them with a stolen pickup in New Orleans East.
Ferguson stressed repeatedly that the NOPD is working with other city departments and local agencies to offer alternatives to jail and prison.
“What can we do better?” he said NOPD leaders are asking. “Because we know incarceration is not the answer to everything.”
Officers are also talking with the parents of some juvenile offenders, offering access to youth services and other opportunities for self-improvement.
Some juveniles have opted to try such services “because they want to go the right direction,” Ferguson said.
“There are some individuals that should be incarcerated,” he said. “But then there are those who should not. There are some kids that are actually looking for some sort of opportunity. It is our duty, our job to identify these individuals and get them the help that is needed.”
The superintendent also urged parents to keep closer tabs on their children, “making sure they’re where they’re supposed to be, making sure they’re accountable for their actions,” he said.
In answer to a reporter’s question, the superintendent also said he does not think there are any specific “crews” or “groups” of juveniles organizing to commit crimes. Ferguson said social media, smart devices and “things of that nature” could be a factor, but he acknowledged that the department is not sure.
“(There) could be a number of answers to that question, we really do not know,” he said. “But it is our duty and our job to identify any of those responsible for committing these crimes.”
Laura McKnight covers crime and breaking news for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.
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