NEW ORLEANS — Repeat juvenile offenders who are arrested will be put on an automatic hold until a hearing takes place, the judges of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court have decided.
The new policy is a move aimed at stemming crimes committed by juveniles who have been released from jail or a detention center after being arrested, only to be arrested after another incident.
The judges passed the resolution at a special meeting Wednesday. Recent high-profile incidents of car burglaries in several areas of the city by juveniles have caught the attention of the public, elected officials and the judges.
“The recent increase of juvenile crime in our community that has created a climate of fear in our schools and our communities is the result of increasingly violent acts committed by only a handful of young offenders,” said a news release announcing the move.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson decried police arresting the same offenders over and over again following Tuesday’s incident where juveniles suspected of trying to burglarize cars in the Lakeview area were confronted by officers. Police said the suspects, who were inside of a stolen car, backed up the vehicle at a high rate of speed, threatening an officer, who then fired at the vehicle.
The resulting pursuit of that vehicle led to a crash and then a foot pursuit and manhunt for the suspects. A large show of force by police and special operations units and the lockdown of four schools in the area followed.
Two of the suspects have been arrested and are facing counts in both the adult and juvenile systems. One suspect remains at large.
“I look forward to working with our partners in juvenile justice including the Mayor, the District Attorney, the New Orleans District Attorney, Louisiana Center for Children’s Right and other community stakeholders to address and reduce delinquent actions by juveniles in our community,” said Chief Judge Candice Bates-Anderson.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
