Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: December 4, 2006

Phone: 318/673-6932 Fax: 318/673-6933

Contact: Kacee Hargrave, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mayor doubles size of Robbery Task Force

Mayor Cedric Glover announced today that he is doubling the size of the Shreveport Police Department’s Armed Robbery Task Force.

The task force, which kicked off Oct. 16 to combat an expected seasonal increase in robberies, will now be in even more businesses and more parts of the city than before.

To double the size of the task force, Glover has authorized the expenditure of an additional $28,000. That brings the total amount budgeted to fight robberies this year to $85,000.

Robberies are running about the same this year as compared to 2005. As of the end of October of this year, there have been 454 robberies in Shreveport. This includes robberies of persons and businesses and is down from 491 that had occurred during the same time period in 2005.

The task force has proved successful so far, with officers making several robbery arrests. The most high-profile arrest occurred Nov. 20 when an undercover agent thwarted a robbery in progress at a gas station in the 8800 block of Jewella. Agent L.J. Scott was standing in an aisle when the robber entered the business and demanded money from the clerk. The robber, 21-year-old Derek Pierson of Stockton, California, was quickly apprehended.

Robbers should be aware that officers will be in even more businesses, thanks to the doubling of the task force. This includes members of the armed robbery task force chosen to serve on the robbery surveillance teams, which have been nicknamed “shotgun squads.” Officers on the “shotgun squads” hide in back rooms and coolers of businesses in case would-be robbers try to victimize the establishment.

The increase in the task force members takes effect immediately.

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View all SPD press releases at www.ci.shreveport.la.us/dept/police/spdnews