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Senator [Landrieu] asks for federal reinforcements in New Orleans
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| Contributor | Brandonius Maximus |
| Last Edited | Brandonius Maximus Aug 05, 2006 11:58am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Thursday, August 3, 2006 05:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Associated Press
With New Orleans struggling to rein in crime, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu on Thursday asked the Justice Department to send in more federal agents and prosecutors to cope with the rising violence.
"The criminal justice infrastructure in Orleans Parish is broken," Landrieu, D-La., said in a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. "It needs to be immediately fixed."
Landrieu cited a police department without a functioning training academy, a backup of thousands of criminal cases in state court in Orleans Parish and inadequate detention facilities. She asked for Gonzales to provide more FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents for the city, probation officers and juvenile crime specialists.
Unless the crime wave is checked, the city's rebuilding efforts will be stymied, Landrieu said.
"Much of the recent violence in the city has been linked to drugs and gangs," Landrieu wrote. "However, there is also emerging evidence that gangs are aware of the criminal justice system's difficulties, and they intend to maximize their window of opportunity."
In mid-June, Gov. Kathleen Blanco dispatched about 300 National Guardsmen and 60 state troopers to help city police. That came after five teenagers were killed in a single attack.
"While this step has undoubtedly improved public safety in some areas, the fact remains that violent crime is on a dangerous rise," Landrieu said.
Despite the reinforcements, 21 murders were recorded in New Orleans in July, including one attack that claimed the lives of three brothers and a friend.
Landrieu suggested that authorities use federal racketeering laws against gangs and drug rings. |
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