Over the last few years, the city of New Orleans has earned the horrible title of Murder Capital of the nation. With the events of the past few days, it is clear that the Crescent City will not be relinquishing the title anytime soon.

Yesterday, a 13-year old boy was shot to death in New Orleans East by a 14-year old boy. Supposedly, the youngster was “shot like a dog” because he would not join a neighborhood gang. A neighbor called the victim a “very polite boy who didn’t mess with nobody.” Sadly, his politeness and refusal to join a gang may have cost him his life.

Before Katrina, New Orleans East was a struggling community with plenty of crime. Today, the crime situation is even worse according to residents who have complained to police on countless occasions. One of the problems is that groups of unsupervised youngsters are skipping school and terrorizing the community. Where are the police officials, truant officers and political leaders in dealing with this issue?

This tragic incident comes just one day after a respected New Orleans pastor and his wife were killed in their home. Allegedly, the killing was related to an ongoing criminal investigation and was a clear case of witness intimidation. One of the pastor’s grandchildren is supposed to testify against a criminal suspect.

For too long, witnesses in New Orleans have not been protected and criminals have been able to remain out of jail because of outright intimidation. The new District Attorney must improve the witness protection program and do something to increase the conviction rate for felony crimes. A recent report by the Metropolitan Crime Commission showed that the conviction rate for violent crimes is too low. In 2007, only 13% of those charged with violent crimes were convicted. The group found that the NOPD spends too much time, energy and resources on petty arrests and not enough manpower on keeping violent criminals off the streets of New Orleans.

Any independent analysis would show that the NOPD is a dysfunctional organization that needs new leadership. Unfortunately, the Chief of Police is hired and fired by the Mayor of New Orleans. Our current Mayor does not have the interest or inclination to make a change in the NOPD. It will take a new Mayor with a new commitment to public safety to turn around the situation in New Orleans. Until then, look for New Orleans to retain the disturbing title of Murder Capital of the nation.

The foremost priority of city leaders should be focused on improving public safety and curbing violent crime. If that was the true goal, a new leader would be installed at the NOPD, all of the crime cameras would be working and there would be a daily focus on this critical issue. Instead, the city is worried about extracting as much revenue as possible from citizens and tourists, implementing new red light cameras, speeding cameras and sending out meter maids in droves throughout the city.

It is a tragic case of misplaced priorities that will not change until a new Mayor takes office.  

Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com

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