Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand told the Parish Council on Wednesday that the West Bank street crimes task force has been successful and should continue to be funded. (Photo by The Times-Picayune archive)
Crime-fighting in West Jefferson took the spotlight Wednesday when Jefferson Parish Council member Chris Roberts questioned why Parish President John Young isn't budgeting money next year for the West Bank major crimes task force. While the council won't vote on Young's $562 million budget proposal until later this month, Roberts made clear that helping pay for the task force is a priority.
"That's one of the best $90,000 that we spend every year," Roberts said.
His concerns, echoed by Sheriff Newell Normand, were aired after Young gave a general overview of the administration's budget proposal. Chief Operating Officer Chris Cox said he will address specific budget questions from the council in the coming weeks but added, "Unfortunately there were a lot of cuts in the lot of different areas."
The debate, over what amounts to less than 0.02 percent of the budget, illustrates not only the importance of public safety in the public mind but also the political interests of Normand and West Bank elected officials.
Jefferson joined with the Sheriff's Office and the Gretna and Westwego Police departments to create the task force after Hurricane Katrina.
"We've been, thus far, very, very successful," Normand said. He told Councilman Ricky Templet that the task force's conviction rate is 80 percent, and he counseled against cutting the parish's share of the funding.
"I don't know at this point in time that it's the prudent move," Normand said. "We would like very much to continue that endeavor."
Earlier this year, the task force fell under a cloud after a lawyer representing a drug dealer busted by the unit produced evidence suggesting that members of the task force had taken two safes belonging to the dealer and failed to log them in. The lawyer also said task force members took a bag from his client containing $3,500 in cash during a visit to the man's French Quarter apartment that was not mentioned in a police report about the arrest.
The Orleans Parish district attorney's office dropped its case against the dealer after the evidence was produced. The FBI has announced that it is investigating the matter.
Source: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/jefferson_parish_cuts_money_fo.html
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