N.O. Police Want Federal Troops to Stay

N.O. Police Want Federal Troops to Stay
By MARY FOSTER Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Published Wednesday | October 17, 2007


NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The city's police chief wants the Louisiana National Guard to stay past its mid-January pullout date to help bring down a soaring crime rate, but Gov. Kathleen Blanco does not have the authority to keep the troops in place after she leaves office.

A new governor takes office Jan. 15, the day after the troops are scheduled to leave.

"I would like to see them stay, at least long enough for us to get one more group through the academy," Police Superintendent Warren Riley said Wednesday as he left a legislative hearing on crime.

Violent crime has been a major concern in New Orleans as it slowly recovers from Hurricane Katrina, which flooded 80 percent of the city in August 2005. An estimated 273,000 people live in the city, which had a pre-Katrina population of 455,000.

The 300 guardsmen, who have been helping patrol the city since June 21, 2006, are in the least-populated areas. The troops free up police officers to work the areas of the city with the most people.

~snip~

The state has spent $30.4 million to keep National Guard troops and state police in New Orleans.


Rest of article at: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1115&u_mod=ap.online.headlines.us&u_sid=10161210

help the poor and help people get back into their homes.