Baton Rouge police chief, Capital Area United Way respond to summer crime concerns with programming push
BRPD says 43 murders recorded so far this year; Capital Area United Way distributes $100,000 in grants to six local programs
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse says talking about crime statistics is never easy — especially when every number represents a family’s loss.
“How do you look at that family and say ‘hey crime is good in Baton Rouge’ when they just lost a loved one?” Morse said.
According to BRPD, there have been 43 murders in Baton Rouge so far this year. Morse described that figure as a minimal uptick from last year’s numbers at this time, which he said were down significantly from previous years.
A string of shootings over the past five days left three people dead and others injured across the city.
Morse said law enforcement alone cannot solve the problem.
“It’s not just a cliché, but it’s a real thing that we can’t police our way out of crime; we can’t police our way out of crime issues,” Morse said. “We need all of our partners; we need everybody being involved.”
United Way responds with $100,000 in grants
Following a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana, Capital Area United Way President George Bell said community members raised concerns about summer violence.
“After the mall shooting, several of our community stakeholders were concerned about that becoming a pattern for our community as we entered the summer months,” Bell said.
Bell said his team identified a handful of local programs and moved quickly to fund them.
“Once we identified them, we reached out to get information about how this could make a difference, and we made those grants just over the last week,” Bell said.
In all, $100,000 is being distributed to six programs this summer. United Way said additional funding could be on the way for other programs soon.
The six funded programs are:
- Someone Always Cares Foundation — SAC Initiative ($20,000)
- Boys & Girls Club — Summer Youth Program ($20,000)
- b1 Foundation — b1 Re-Entry Initiative ($20,000)
- Mid City Redevelopment Alliance — Building Up Industry Development ($7,000)
- Front Yard Bikes — Youth Internship Program ($23,000)
- YMCA — Summer Swim Program ($10,000)
Bell said the goal is to connect residents — particularly children — with opportunities to help them stay safe and educated.
“It’s trying to find a way to raise resources that then can be invested into community programs and services that help lift our folks out of the situations that they may be in,” Bell said.
Chief Morse: summer programming saves lives
Morse said summer initiatives have a measurable impact, even when that impact is difficult to quantify.
“If it wasn’t for the summer programming, maybe you have 10-15 more homicides, right?” Morse said. “So it’s hard to show what that work is truly doing, and it’s hard to quantify it a lot of times, but we know it has to be making a difference.”
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