NEW ORLEANS — The Orleans Parish District Attorney outlined steps designed to combat a "plague of dangerous juvenile crime" in New Orleans at a press conference Thursday, emphasizing additional accountability at various levels of the criminal justice system and calling for the repeal of federal oversight of the New Orleans Police Department.
"An impotent pattern of catch and release has become the norm," said Leon Cannizzaro, who represents prosecutors in Orleans Parish.
He referenced the May shooting of 63-year-old Zelda Townsend and her husband by a teenage suspect who was allegedly confronted after trying to burglarize their car.
The main suspect in that case, 17-year-old Emanuel Pipkins, had been arrested a month before on an unrelated auto burglary charge, according to the NOPD.
"Broken glass from auto burglaries can be found on the ground of every New Orleans neighborhood," Cannizzaro said. "This is not considered a violent crime, but as we saw last week, that can change in an instant."
The district attorney outlined eight steps he said could reduce the number of young people in the court system.
"We all want to see fewer teens incarcerated, but we must arrive there by fewer teens committing crimes," Cannizzaro said.
Here is his eight-point plan:
- Step up NOPD's curfew and truancy enforcement, which has fallen dramatically in recent years
- Juvenile court judges must get tougher on repeat offenders
- Demand more supervision by parents or guardians, potentially through fines
- Push to conclude NOPD's federal consent decree
- Expand the capacity of the city's youth study center and rehab programs
- Put the needs of citizens and visitors ahead of outside political donors
- Invest in expansion of District Attorney's juvenile division staff by an additional two prosecutors
- Request additional state police manpower to patrol New Orleans for juvenile crime.
Cannizzaro said that he was not able to enact any of his eight points, but added he was advocating for their implementation with the people who could.
"I believe our police department has been handcuffed," he said, adding that many of the juvenile crime issues are "because of the policy of this city, sort of coddling these offenders."
Cannizzaro emphasized the end of the federal consent decree as his highest priority.
"First of all, you've got to get the police department engaged," he said. "They are not allowed to do what police do."
The consent decree was enacted in 2012 after the federal Department of Justice issued a report alleging unconstitutional conduct by the NOPD and describing the justice department's concerns about procedures and policies used by the NOPD.
It outlines regulations and procedures designed to bring the city's police department back into constitutional compliance, with oversight from the DOJ.
Seven years later, Cannizzaro said, it is time for the federal government to sign off on the consent decree and end its oversight.
"I think the police department is certainly complying with the constitution," he said.
The parish's lead prosecutor also echoed a message from Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson after Townsend's shooting, calling for greater parental oversight into their teens.
But while the mayor and police chief pleaded with parents to be proactive, Cannizzaro said judges should be willing to punish noncompliance from both guardians and their wards.
"Judges should be willing to penalize parents," Cannizzaro said. "Juvenile judges have been pressured to simply turn teen offenders loose."
Because of this pressure to not enact penalties on parents or teens, he said, "the true scope of the problem is concealed. We cannot continue this charade."
Cannizzaro said if officials take heed of his ideas, the city could make progress against juvenile crime even as New Orleans prepares for schools to let young people out for the summer.
"Simply releasing teenagers without rehabilitation or meaningful supervision is selling both those teens and our city short," Cannizzaro said. "Engaging this eight-point plan without delay would provide the juvenile crime relief our citizens want and so badly deserve."
