Lafayette's Chief of Police has announced her "plan of action" for 2024.
Chief Judith Estorge describes 2023 as "a historic and tragic year for our community—as it relates to violent crime."
Lafayette saw a decrease in overall crimes, but a record number of homicides, she said.
"Domestic violence, juvenile crimes, lack of proper conflict resolution, social media engagement, and several other factors have all contributed to these acts of deadly violence," she says. "The safety and well-being of our community is the number one goal of The Lafayette Police Department. And while it may not be easy, please know that we are working diligently to gain your trust, support and cooperation."
She says the department has begun to implement tactics and strategies designed to combat violence.
"Some of these tactics include the placement of over 100 police cameras throughout the city, and deploying more officers to areas of high crime activity. These, and other tactics, will aid us in locating individuals who are illegally carrying and discharging firearms—in hopes that we can reduce the gun violence. I can assure you that individuals who elect to commit these crimes of violence will be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," she says.
But solving crimes is not enough, she says.
"This is our community, and it will take a cooperative effort between The Lafayette Police Department and every concerned citizen to stop criminal activity from occurring. We must ALL work together as a community to try our best to PREVENT these horrible acts of violence," Estorge says. “If you see something, I urge you to call 911 immediately. Regardless if it is a major incident or a minor suspicious activity, the safety of this community is our top priority."
Here's the post, which includes a video of the chief talking about this plan.
