Security

As many of you may already know, last week an LSU student was attacked and killed while waiting for the train to pass on Government Street. The members of the Garden District Board were horrified to learn about this crime committed during the early morning of September 16th. The proximity of the crime to the Garden District is troubling, and the sense that this was a “wrong place, wrong time” crime further heightens anxieties in the community. Like everyone, we hope that the perpetrator(s) are caught quickly and brought to justice.

Members of our community are the eyes and ears of BRPD, so if you or your neighbors have any information about this crime, please report it to the police immediately. BRPD encourages anyone who may have witnessed or has evidence (security footage) of this event or any others to contact Detective Justin Becnel (Cell: 225-413-8998; Office: 225-389-3848). Any information can be helpful to ensure the suspects are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Importantly: if you are a victim or witness to any crime, please contact or stay in contact with BRPD. 

Additional advice/notes from BRPD:

• Stay vigilant. Most armed robbery suspects target distracted victims. 
• High-quality residential surveillance video can be vital in solving a case. 
• Vehicle burglars often transition to armed robbers when confronted. 
• Cooperate as much as possible with armed suspects. Nothing you own is worth your life or serious injury.

Beyond this, we encourage residents to be proactive in terms of your own safety practices and behaviors. You may ask yourself:

• Are we doing a good job of securing our homes?
• Do we communicate regularly with our neighbors, and are we watching out for one another?
• Are we locking our car doors consistently and not leaving things in plain view to tempt criminals?
• Do we maintain good situational awareness (ie. not glued to our phones) as we move throughout the world?

Currently, about half of our annual membership dues go toward security patrols for the neighborhood. It’s important to keep your membership current and to encourage your neighbors to become members of the GDCA because the more dues paying members we have, the more security efforts we can fund. Stay safe out there!

On Thursday, May 26, 2022, Baton Rouge Police Department arrested four individuals responsible for the recent crime spree in and around our neighborhood. This was a Tier 1 Top Priority for BRPD. The suspects have been connected to at least seven separate events that occurred in the past approximate10 days, including the events on St. Rose Street, on S 22nd Street and Cherokee Street (previously reported as S 18th Street and Cherokee Street), and on Park Boulevard and Terrace Avenue. Other events occurred as far east as the Mid City Beer Garden and as far west as Brice Street across from Alford Safe and Lock.

BRPD encourages anyone who may have witnessed or has evidence of these events or any other related crimes to contact Detective Justin Becnel (cell 225-413-8998, office 225-389-3848). Any information can be helpful to ensure the suspects are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. MOST IMPORTANTLY! If you are a victim or witness to a crime, please contact or stay in contact with BRPD. 

Additional advice/notes from BRPD

• Stay vigilant! Most armed robbery suspects target distracted victims.
• High-quality residential surveillance video was vital in solving this case.
• Vehicle burglars often transition to armed robbers when confronted.
• Cooperate as much as possible with armed suspects. Nothing you own is worth your life or serious injury.

BRPD also reviewed the past six months of activity in the Garden District and with the exception of the activities of the four arrested suspects, we remain a very safe neighborhood. They attribute this in part to it being a neighborhood where folks know their neighbors, and there are almost always eyes on the street (likely due to the large number of lovely porches throughout the neighborhood).

So this Memorial Day weekend, crack a cold one on your porch (or if you’re like me, your front stoop), say hi to your neighbors (or invite them over if you are so inclined), and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Cheers,

Justin Kozak
President, Garden District Civic Association
[email protected]
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