Crime

[Antrell Williams]

Should marijuana even be illegal?

Why lock people up for possessing a natural substance that causes no real physical harm?

Why not legalize possesion and tax/regulate sale and production?

In any case, I think crime in places like Baton Rouge are perpetuated by a public education system that's absolute crap and poverty-fighting federal programs that undermine the role of the male in the American household. In the poor areas (especially in low income black neighborhoods in BR), the number of children born out of wedlock is astounding. If your parents don't care, and your teachers don't care......there's pretty much no chance of breaking the cycle.

I honestly thought vouchers would offer a way out for those kids. It's not fair for them to be in the same class with a bunch of thugs and an incompetent teacher just because their parents can't afford to move to a nicer area.

One of the reasons you are seeing the middle class leave Baton Rouge is the quality of public schools.

You can't honestly discuss growth and development without discussing public services like education because they play such a huge role on the demand side of real estate.

I agree with everything you just said. We would benefit much more with marijuana prohibition repealed.

[richyb83]

Yall speak the truth on the herb....only problem is...you can take a breathalyzer test to know when too much alcohol is consumed; like the idiot that was 4 times above the legal-limit and crashed into a house w his car...but how many puffs would it take to find the center of a tootsie roll pop?? Big difference between a few puffs & and entire spliff!

 

 

BRPD: Violent crimes decrease in first 6 months of 2013

 

http://theadvocate.com/news/police/7259519-123/brpd-violent-crimes-decrease-in

[cajun]

Yall speak the truth on the herb....only problem is...you can take a breathalyzer test to know when too much alcohol is consumed; like the idiot that was 4 times above the legal-limit and crashed into a house w his car...but how many puffs would it take to find the center of a tootsie roll pop?? Big difference between a few puffs & and entire spliff!

BRPD: Violent crimes decrease in first 6 months of 2013

http://theadvocate.com/news/police/7259519-123/brpd-violent-crimes-decrease-in

That's the problem with legalization....it would have to be regulated like alcoholic beverages and I'm not sure it's possible. It's only illegal because special interests wants you cutting trees to make paper instead of hemp, and they want you smoking tobacco instead of pot.

I just want to see fewer people penalized for possession of low quantities of a harmless substance. It's one of those stupid laws...like those that outline illegal gambling.

How is gambling potentially harmful to anyone but the adults involved? Gambling is illegal because it's not "gaming"....and "gaming" produces tax revenue. The government makes gambling illegal because they have no way of taking their cut. Say what they want, but that's the only reason.

I really think that the government can be worst than the mafia at times. I won't even get started on blue laws or gun control laws...just more legislation of morality that we can do without.

[Antrell Williams]

Yall speak the truth on the herb....only problem is...you can take a breathalyzer test to know when too much alcohol is consumed; like the idiot that was 4 times above the legal-limit and crashed into a house w his car...but how many puffs would it take to find the center of a tootsie roll pop?? Big difference between a few puffs & and entire spliff!

 

 

BRPD: Violent crimes decrease in first 6 months of 2013

 

http://theadvocate.com/news/police/7259519-123/brpd-violent-crimes-decrease-in

You don't need a breathalyzer for prescription medication, and that can earn you a DUI and a night in the drunk take as well. I don't see a difference. I would rather a pot head on the road than someone zoned out on Xanax. Ever heard of an accident caused my being high on marijuana?

 

That's the problem with legalization....it would have to be regulated like alcoholic beverages and I'm not sure it's possible. It's only illegal because special interests wants you cutting trees to make paper instead of hemp, and they want you smoking tobacco instead of pot.

I just want to see fewer people penalized for possession of low quantities of a harmless substance. It's one of those stupid laws...like those that outline illegal gambling.

How is gambling potentially harmful to anyone but the adults involved? Gambling is illegal because it's not "gaming"....and "gaming" produces tax revenue. The government makes gambling illegal because they have no way of taking their cut. Say what they want, but that's the only reason.

I really think that the government can be worst than the mafia at times. I won't even get started on blue laws or gun control laws...just more legislation of morality that we can do without.

Agreed, although I believe there is some traction on the gun control debate. This is not the place, however.

[jonesy]

After reading this topic wholly in one sitting I'm surprised no one has mentioned the abysmal amount of largely unenforced traffic laws in/around BR. I will never be one to downplay violent crimes or serious property crimes as being a serious blight on critical parts of the city but my god... has anyone else seen the way we let people run around in this city? I-10/12/110 are pretty much wild west so far as I can tell... and part of the traffic problem (not the entirety of it, but a part) is the fact that we're not cracking down on speeding or any number of other moving violations that happen all the time on the road. It's not an easy or cheap problem to solve but it does have what I believe to be some pretty straightforward remedies and solutions.

[Antrell Williams]

After reading this topic wholly in one sitting I'm surprised no one has mentioned the abysmal amount of largely unenforced traffic laws in/around BR. I will never be one to downplay violent crimes or serious property crimes as being a serious blight on critical parts of the city but my god... has anyone else seen the way we let people run around in this city? I-10/12/110 are pretty much wild west so far as I can tell... and part of the traffic problem (not the entirety of it, but a part) is the fact that we're not cracking down on speeding or any number of other moving violations that happen all the time on the road. It's not an easy or cheap problem to solve but it does have what I believe to be some pretty straightforward remedies and solutions.

People in each and every city have this same problem. The interstates here are very calm compared to when I lived in Houston. I've never really seen speeding as a problem in the area here, nor do I see enough traffic problems to claim it as a cause for the terrible traffic in the capital region.

[cajun]

Traffic usually keeps me well under the speed limit in Atlanta...just like in Baton Rouge and in parts of Houston.

I do occasionally see very poor driving though. I think big rigs (especially in Baton Rouge) are way to impatient and wreck less considering the many are moving hazardous cargo. Every year one of them causes an accident that seems to shut Baton Rouge down.

[jonesy]

People in each and every city have this same problem. The interstates here are very calm compared to when I lived in Houston. I've never really seen speeding as a problem in the area here, nor do I see enough traffic problems to claim it as a cause for the terrible traffic in the capital region.

 

I think it's pretty terrible. Of the total number of vehicle accidents that happen, how many would you speculate are due to factors that are outside the driver's control and not attributable to negligence or willful disobedience of traffic laws? Also, just because it's a problem in other cities doesn't mean it's any less of an issue. I think that almost every single collision that happens could be avoided if people were compelled to pay more attention to their driving and the consequences of their actions behind the wheel.

 

We're not even mentioning DUIs or other things that people can get away with so easily here in BR, either.

[Antrell Williams]

I think it's pretty terrible. Of the total number of vehicle accidents that happen, how many would you speculate are due to factors that are outside the driver's control and not attributable to negligence or willful disobedience of traffic laws? Also, just because it's a problem in other cities doesn't mean it's any less of an issue. I think that almost every single collision that happens could be avoided if people were compelled to pay more attention to their driving and the consequences of their actions behind the wheel.

 

We're not even mentioning DUIs or other things that people can get away with so easily here in BR, either.

This theory could be applied to every facet of negativity in life, but that's never fixed anything has it?

[jonesy]

I'm not trying to be negative about it at all, really. If you believe that targeted enforcement of traffic violations isn't a good fix for the problem, how would you solve it?

[Antrell Williams]

I didn't mean that you were being negative. We could put more state troopers on the roads but we haven't had an academy in nearly a decade and we are losing them to retirement monthly. The state just approved a new academy for state police.

 

It's just that I haven't ran into any driving specific concerns since I've lived here. I'd rather focus on the crime and murder rate.

[itsjustme3]

I'm not trying to be negative about it at all, really. If you believe that targeted enforcement of traffic violations isn't a good fix for the problem, how would you solve it?

The Baton Rouge police department has much more pressing issues to deal with on a daily basis than radaring speeders on the interstate. This isn't some poh-dunk little town with one major road running through it that depends on speeding ticket revenue.

[jonesy]

There's a whole traffic division, so I'd counter that there's a part of the force that actually doesn't have anything more pressing to deal with.

[itsjustme3]

So the traffic department doesn't work? That's what you're saying? Really? C'mon man.

[cajun]

The Baton Rouge police department has much more pressing issues to deal with on a daily basis than radaring speeders on the interstate. This isn't some poh-dunk little town with one major road running through it that depends on speeding ticket revenue.

They are too busy harassing students and setting up inspection sticker checkpoints in south Baton Rouge. They are cowards who'd rather screw with the 19 year old unarmed frat boy than attempt to patrol neighborhoods that are even moderately dangerous.

In my opinion, if they put as much effort into stepping up presence where they are needed as they do for setting up DUI checkpoints on the mean streets of Corporate blvd or Lee drive , the crime problem in Baton Rouge would be all but solved.

BRPD is a small town police force with a small town mindset. They are incapable of serving the large city that Baton Rouge has turned into. I know two very good officers on that force. In BRPD's case, like many Podunk departments, 90% of the force make that 10% look bad. I'm amazed they are able to get anything done with the poor leadership they'be had for almost a decade.

[itsjustme3]

Cops are designated "zones" to patrol. So a cop who is pulling over a drunk frat boy at Reggie's at 2am or setting up a DWIGHT checkpoint on Nicholson at LSU is also responsible for patrolling Plank Road or Hollywood?

you sound a little emotional for someone who doesn't live in BR anymore. What's the story?

I don't have a problem with checkpoints. I don't drive drunk. I bet Matt Tugwell wishes there were more DWI checkpoints. He was hit by a car near LSU on Saturday night by a drunk.

Edit: I saw you updated your post. Cajun, comparing a drink driver leaving a bar at 1am isn't the same as a gun totting gangbanger who takes a AK-47 and shoots up a house in retaliation for a previous drive by shooting. A check point or ANY cop work isn't going to solve that issue.

[cajun]

Cops are designated "zones" to patrol. So a cop who is pulling over a drunk frat boy at Reggie's at 2am or setting up a DWIGHT checkpoint on Nicholson at LSU is also responsible for patrolling Plank Road or Hollywood?

you sound a little emotional for someone who doesn't live in BR anymore. What's the story?

I don't have a problem with checkpoints. I don't drive drunk. I bet Matt Tugwell wishes there were more DWI checkpoints. He was hit by a car near LSU on Saturday night by a drunk.

Edit: I saw you updated your post. Cajun, comparing a drink driver leaving a bar at 1am isn't the same as a gun totting gangbanger who takes a AK-47 and shoots up a house in retaliation for a previous drive by shooting. A check point or ANY cop work isn't going to solve that issue.

Matt Tugwell's tragic situation would not have been stopped by a checkpoint on Corporate or Lee directly.

Police presence in high crime areas can reduce crime. Monitoring urban environments and rapid response to crime has been very effective in reducing violent crime in other cities. Critics call it "police state"'or "governing with fear"....but it does work to reduce violent crime just as it works for reducing intoxicating driving. A variant of this was implanted in New York in the mid 1980s.

I'm arguing that the efforts to reduce drunk driving in some districts (which are often multi agency tasks forces) can and should be replicated for violent crime prevention. It's not a priority now....because BRPD can't be bothered with it and violent crime usually doesn't directly impact much of the city the way intoxicated driving does. That doesn't make it less important than speed traps, inspection sticker checkpoints, or DUI checkpoints.

And yes, I'm emotional about this. One of the reasons my wife took the fellowship offer in Atlanta was because she and a coworker were robbed at gunpoint and assaulted outside a hospital where they were completing their clinical rotation. She called the police when it happened and then she called me. I was able to drive to the location from O'Neal after dropping the kids off at her parents house and driving through one DUI checkpoint. 40 minutes after I arrived, one BRPD squad car showed up. The officer was too much of a coward to get out of his car. The rent a cops there were more helpful than BRPD.

There were checkpoints with 10+ cops from both EBRSO and BRPD on Coursey and Corporate that night and another on Lee near LSU.....representing constituents that think underage drinking and driving under the influence is a much bigger threat to society than violent crime.

The perps who assaulted my wife and her coworker were never caught. Less than a month later, there was a shooting in that same parking lot.

We decided that a city that prioritized blue laws, targeted harrasment of students, and revenue generating traffic stops over responding to actual crimes is doomed to fail. We love Baton Rouge, but we will never return without a major change there.

[itsjustme3]

Hate to tell you but crime is in a lot of cities. Baton Rouge doesn't really do anything different (better or worse) than any other city it's size. It's understandable that you would be prejudiced against the BR police dept. if I lived in your town and that happened to my wife then I'd feel the same about your police dept.

To use a broad brush against a cities police department because of your incident isn't fair though.

There were checkpoints with 10+ cops from both EBRSO and BRPD on Coursey and Corporate that night and another on Lee near LSU.....representing constituents that think underage drinking and driving under the influence is a much bigger threat to society than violent crime.

This is just a ridiculous statement. You have no clue about what the cops were doing in north BR. You're just venting to vent. Drunk driving IS a problem in south Louisiana. If it weren't then cops wouldn't have check points.

[Antrell Williams]

My father is a veteran with BRPD, now works out of Scotlandville. There are immense problems with BRPD.

[garrett_225]

Cops are designated "zones" to patrol. So a cop who is pulling over a drunk frat boy at Reggie's at 2am or setting up a DWIGHT checkpoint on Nicholson at LSU is also responsible for patrolling Plank Road or Hollywood?

 

Just saying: Reggie's is Tigerland, which certainly is a relatively high crime area where there ought to be police presence. 

[cajun]

Hate to tell you but crime is in a lot of cities. Baton Rouge doesn't really do anything different (better or worse) than any other city it's size. It's understandable that you would be prejudiced against the BR police dept. if I lived in your town and that happened to my wife then I'd feel the same about your police dept.

To use a broad brush against a cities police department because of your incident isn't fair though.

This is just a ridiculous statement. You have no clue about what the cops were doing in north BR. You're just venting to vent. Drunk driving IS a problem in south Louisiana. If it weren't then cops wouldn't have check points.

Crime happens. I expect cops to show up to an reported assault of physicians at a major regional hospital inside of 90 minutes. I expect a dispatch that speaks plain english.

This isn't Detroit. Baton Rouge isn't bankrupt. I expect crime in the city, but there is absolutely no excuse for that horrible level of public service.

Two very good frends of mine work on the force (my father in law works for another department) and I know about the problems at BRPD and the pisspoor leadership. The mindset of leadership at BRPD is not compatible with the needs of the city.

Crime IS a serious problem in Baton Rouge. I hate to break it to you, but just because it's not happening to you doesn't mean it okay to ignore it.

[itsjustme3]

Like I said, cities the size of BR have crime problems. It's nothing new. Just another reason why people move.

[all2neat]

Crime is a problem every where. The bigger the population the more often crime happens.

[Antrell Williams]

Like I said, cities the size of BR have crime problems. It's nothing new. Just another reason why people move.

So, you aren't worried about the crime?

[itsjustme3]

Worried? Of course. Who doesn't? But packing my bags and moving tomorrow? No. This country is on a downward spiral when in comes to morality, respect for laws, and common sense but most large cities have that problem. Eventually my wife and I will move to escape it like Cajun did.