In an effort to rebuild its image, the New Orleans Police Department got very public Thursday, with neighborhood walks in all of the city's eight districts.
Those crime walks though happened on the heels of another federal indictment of more officers related to a man's death five years ago July 30th.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Chief Ronal Serpas and men and women in uniform walked through the city's Fifth District Thursday evening.
"What we want the department to do is focus on what the community says its needs are not what we think its needs are," said Serpas.
St. Roch resident Jeffrey Holmes turned out for the walk to voice concerns about his neighborhood. Holmes said after dark, it turns into a campground for the homeless.
"If the police were out here at night they (homeless) wouldn't be here, and on this block that we're standing on, there are five street lights on this block. Four of those street lights do not work and have not worked for about two years," said Holmes.
Mayor Landrieu said the police department has already made dramatic changes, bringing in the Department of Justice, bringing in the new chief and a civilian to handle internal investigations. Landrieu says now, the NOPD must engage the community.
"The community's gotta trust the police if the police department's ever gonna be effective. We can't arrest our way out of the crime problem, it's gotta be a partnership between community and police," said Landrieu.
City leaders say the crime walks are only the beginning, but they come on the heels of another federal indictment handed down against two police officers in the pre-Katrina beating death of Raymond Robair in 2005 in the city's Treme neighborhood.
"It's not as detailed as some of the other indictments we've seen say as in Danziger bridge or in Algiers, but it's an indictment, and it still carries a serious penalty which allows the ag to decide whether to seek the death penalty," said former U.S. Attorney Harry Rosenberg.
Officer Melvin Williams is accused of physically assaulting Robair, and lying about what happened, which carries a civil rights act violation and obstruction of justice. Williams' partner Matthew Moore is also charged with lying to an FBI agent.
Serpas said, "what we need to do is focus on the officers who are doing the right thing and keep them recognized that they are making a difference and between our office and Mr. (Jim) Letten and his office, we'll do everything we can to remove from the force those people who have violated the trust and confidence they had when they came on.. we don't need em we don't want em."
Serpas said he wants the community to believe in his department, and says they're going make that easier for them by building relationships for one and having a bigger police presence. Holmes sure hopes so.
He said, "I'll believe it when I see it."
Serpas added he'll soon have community coordinating sergeants in each district. He said these will be sergeants who will respond to residents' concerns and direct those concerns to the district commander to make changes.
