It's Time to Pivot From Crime to Prevention of Crime

By: Dr. Kirkpatrick Williams

Published July 6, 2025 

Crime in Shreveport, Louisiana, is a persistent concern that affects our city’s residents, its economy, and its future. The conversation around public safety must go beyond fear and frustration, it demands action rooted in understanding, accountability, and compassion.

Shreveport has consistently struggled with high rates of both violent and property crimes. Families often feel the impact directly: stolen vehicles, burglarized homes, or the terrifying reality of gun violence in neighborhoods where children play and elders have lived for decades. The psychological toll of living under these conditions is real and lasting. Yet focusing only on symptoms obscures the deeper causes that contribute to crime in the city. It affects us all as, in the last month, I have had three family members that have had vehicles stolen.

At the heart of this issue is a combination of economic hardship, educational inequality, and generational trauma. Decades of underinvestment in public services, jobs, and education, especially in historically underserved areas, have left too many residents without access to opportunity or support. When young people see limited options for advancement, and when basic needs are unmet, criminal activity can sometimes appear to be the only available path.

Efforts have been made to address crime in Shreveport. Local law enforcement has introduced community policing programs to build trust with residents. Nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups have created youth programs and support services aimed at prevention. These efforts are meaningful, but they remain under-funded. Without a broader, more coordinated strategy, progress will remain uneven and slow.

It is not enough to increase patrols or toughen penalties. Real solutions require investment in the city’s human infrastructure. That means expanding workforce development programs, improving access to mental health care, creating affordable housing, and fully funding public education. It also means holding public institutions accountable, police departments, courts, and city officials alike, to ensure fairness, transparency, and community trust. It means tapping into grass roots organizations that have strong community ties and trust.

Crime is not a problem that can be solved by enforcement alone. It is a social and economic challenge that reflects how well, or how poorly, we care for one another as neighbors. Every Shreveport resident deserves to feel safe, to be heard, and to have hope. It will take collaboration, political courage, and sustained commitment to shift the trajectory of public safety. But it is possible.

Shreveport has the potential to be a city defined not by its crime rates, but by its resilience and resolve to build something better. The choice to act boldly and collectively lies before us. We owe it to each other to take that step forward.