The crime was addressed at a meeting in the Scotlandville community

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – East Baton Rouge Metro District Councilwoman Chauna Banks invited the community to a meeting with law enforcement to discuss rising crime rates.

The meeting took place on Monday, November 4th in Scotlandville. The goal was to involve residents of all neighborhoods in an open discussion about how crime can be prevented.

“We've had a number of shootings, I would say one or two a month in the last month in 70807,” Banks said.

There have been six murders in District 2 this year alone. According to Baton Rouge police, there were 29 shootings with a death toll of 32.

Only about ten community members attended the meeting, but those who were present expressed grave concerns. Angela White, president of the Southern Heights Property Owners Association, says she has seen the increased activity firsthand.

“There's drug dealing, there's gamblers, there's a lot going on at those two stations and they're causing a problem,” White said.

White says she looked at the statistics herself through Open Data BR, the online portal that displays crime data. She says the Banks community is a hotspot.

“We spoke to the police almost every year. For many years we had crime workshops and they said, Well, you guys are quiet, but we're in a hotspot, and so what happens when we talk about prevention, what happens that we can then move on to know either “That hotspots are being addressed,” says White.

White says she wants law enforcement to take action to prevent crime, but also understands that community members can help. BRPD officials say one problem is repeat offenders.

Serious violent crime is increasing by 25% in District 2. These crimes include assault, robbery, sexual offenses and stabbings. Of course, officers can only arrest someone who breaks the law, but some residents want more ability to police these hot spots.

BRPD also says they are struggling with manpower, which impacts all areas. They say with the community's help, some crimes can be prevented if people notice and report suspicious activity in their neighborhood.

BRPD officials at the meeting explained the resources you can use at Open Data BR to track crime in your area. They also discussed the “Connect Blue” system, which allows companies to register their publicly accessible surveillance cameras to prevent and solve crime in this area.

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