by SHREVEPORT, La. – With 11 homicides in Shreveport in the first two months of 2024, Shreveport police are amping up technology to help fight crime.
From new cameras to drones flying in the sky, SPD has its eyes out for crime 24/7.
SPD’s newest technology is a mobile camera trailer, allowing the department to have flexibility to have cameras in certain areas of the city when needed.
“This is one we used at the Mardi Gras parade. That has four cameras that we can deploy anywhere,” said Chief Wayne Smith.
There are two more camera trailers on the way.
Also a new million-dollar mobile command center is in production and should be done by the end of the year
“This is Shreveport progressively moving forward,” said Smith.
The department is also getting its first Bearcat, an armored vehicle that allows police to deal with dangerous situations like standoffs.
“We’ve never owned this. We borrowed Bossier City’s,” said Smith. “One is on the way for the city of Shreveport.”
In the past, SPD called in a State Police helicopter for aerial surveillance. Now, the city can do that with 13 new drones and six drone pilots.
Shreveport is also upgrading its current technology.
The 24/7 Real Time Crime Center now has nearly 1.300 camera feeds, compared to April of last year when it had around 700.
“How effective that has been with law enforcement in being able too effectively prevent crimes and also to prosecute crimes,” said Smith.
On top of the technology improvements, some crime rates are also improving. Right now, the violent crime index is down by 33% compared to last year. Also, shots fired calls are down by 13%.
