Actually, New Orleans adopted the NY method of crime tracking, Comstat or whatever, one of the NY architects of that system, Maples, came down about, oh, nine or ten years ago and helped set it up. However, certain aspects of the zero tolerance concept just wouldn't work in New Orleans. The zero tolerance for loitering lasted about one week, and then it became clear that the New Orleans culture sort of depends on loitering and to outlaw it would further alienate from the people a police force that, especially at that time, 94 and 95, was fairly reeling from corruption and abuse scandals, and needed to appear more street friendly. As for increased patrols in high crime areas, they do that too, but the amount of police they would need to police all high crime areas would, I think, bankrupt the city. I really don't know that the underlying cause can be summed up as deeply entrenched racism, although that certainly does exist in Louisiana. And I don't know the origin of the phrase, "New Orleans, the city that care forgot" but I have yet to find fewer words that better sum up the reality there.
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- jimlouis 8-14-2005 6:19 pm