New Orleans, LA - Supt. Ronal Serpas wants the city's interstate system patrolled by state police, something that hasn't been done in decades. Serpas believes state trooper patrols will help relieve NOPD manpower, and keep officers in neighborhoods. But, state police say, they simply don't have the man power to make that happen.
In Jefferson Parish, it's not unusual to spot a state trooper along the interstate. In New Orleans, that's rare.
"We're not in a different state, the 17th St. Canal doesn't separate Orleans from the rest of the State of Louisiana," said Serpas.
Serpas told council members during a grilling session on the city's crime rate Thursday, that his officers are tied up daily working the interstate.
"Not a day goes by, where police officers are not on the interstate system, two, three, four of them at a time, blocking traffic for accidents, and dealing with accidents on the interstate," said Serpas.
Right now, the NOPD has a little over 1300 police officers compared to less than a thousand state troopers across the entire state. But, Serpas, and the city council both agree that the governor should still direct state troopers to patrol interstates 10 and 610 in New Orleans.
"The State Police provide all police service on the interstate system in Jefferson Parish, and in St. Tammany Parish, but in between in Orleans Parish, they do not," said Serpas.
"I think it's a misconception when you look at what's being said about state police presence in the city of New Orleans," said Col. Mike Edmonson.
Col. Edmonson says on a daily basis up to 30 troopers work in various capacities in New Orleans city limits.
"We've been spending time out in New Orleans East, where we've had a problem with speeding trucks and speeding motorist, writing tickets out there everyday, working in and around the levee, where they're doing construction," said Edmonson.
The biggest misunderstanding Edmonson says, is where troopers patrol.
"On a daily basis, whether it's in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Lake Charles, or Lafayette, Houma, Thibodeaux, the Slidell area, the Hammond area, we don't work inside those jurisdictions. City police, they handle that. We just don't have enough police to do that, if I did, believe me, I would," said Edmonson.
In fact, he says they patrol more in New Orleans, than anywhere else in the state.
"I know that Col. Edmonson is a great partner, he works very hard with us, they provide us a lot of help, but what we really need is their specialty help and their specialty help is interstate traffic enforcement, they are great at it," said Serpas.
But for now, Col. Edmonson says they need more troopers to make that a reality.
Starting the first of next year, Edmonson says state police will take over daily 24-hour enforcement on the Crescent City Connection, even if voters decide not to renew the tolls.
He says he will use existing troopers to patrol the bridge.
