Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: July 30, 2007

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

Contact: Kacee Hargrave, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Operation round the clock

Operation Round the Clock -- which literally went more than 40 hours Thursday and Friday of last week -- resulted in 23 arrests, 234 citations and the documentation of numerous code violations.

The operation was a three-pronged approach that addressed quality of life issues like uncut grass and abandoned vehicles; traffic violations such as speeding and seat belts; and targeted patrols to locate suspects who had active warrants for their arrest.

Officers participating in the operation included Patrol, Traffic Enforcement and Community Liaison Officers, working directly with Shreveport Code Enforcement, the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole and the Louisiana State Police.

The goal of the operation was to saturate District 11 to clean up that area and rid it of crime and related blight. District 11 includes the western Cedar Grove and Hollywood neighborhoods.

As many as 45 to 50 officers patrolled the district at any given time. The operation was so effective that the commander ended it an hour early because there was little activity to address by 11 p.m. Friday.

Statistics from the operation included:

* About 200 lots were identified as being in need of mowing.

* More than 250 cars being tagged as abandoned or inoperable.

* More than 20 citations issued for care of premises violations.

* 7 felony arrests, including one for second degree aggravated burglary.

* 16 misdemeanor arrests for outstanding warrants.

* 234 traffic citations issued, including 154 tickets written during the Seat Belt Checkpoint on Thursday.

* At least 13 vehicle impounds.

* 427 vehicles checked during checkpoint.

Officers will continue addressing District 11 issues, as well as other neighborhoods around the city in an effort to address crime and deteriorating neighborhoods.

-spd-

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