Police intensify patrols to suppress street crime

More than 20 Eunice Police officers mounted an intense patrol of problem streets for about five hours on Thursday to suppress street crime.
Patrol units cruised neighborhoods beset by mostly juveniles who often loiter in large groups, make noise, sometimes shoot guns, violate the city’s curfew, deal drugs and steal, Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said.
The sweep was the second of its kind where police vehicles swarm onto Eunice streets, primarily on the east and northwest areas of the city. The first mass patrol was held about three weeks, Fontenot said.
The patrols will continue at random times, he said.
There were arrests as result of the patrol on Thursday, he said.
There also was a pending arrest of the sister of a juvenile who is on house arrest, but was found on the streets Thursday. She will be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, he said.
“The end goal is take back the streets by them not knowing when we are going to be out or how many officers are going to be out in force,” Fontenot said.
The criminal element may start avoiding their loitering hangouts he said.
“We are hoping that people doing the drugs and stuff that by us being around their location and concentrating on that location that we disrupt their business so much that it is not profitable for them anymore to be there and they move on out of town,” Fontenot said.
“Or they go to jail,” he added.
Sgt. A.J. Frank said the juvenile crime problem did exist like it does today when he began work with the Eunice Police Department 10 years ago.
The intense patrols are disrupting criminals, he said, and they serve purpose.
“The only thing that disturbs me is when the elderly people, the older people, and the citizens of the community that don’t want any trouble, it bothers me that they can’t even come out of their houses or work in their yards sit on their porches or go to their mailboxes without being victimized,” Frank said.
Juveniles will congregate on a corner when police tell them to move on, Frank said the response is often “...this is my corner, our corner, this our street...”
Frank said there is a gang operating in the city calling itself Goons for Life.
On patrol Thursday, Frank was targeting sagging pants, teen loitering, traffic issues and suspicious persons.
Fontenot said officers are asked to watch for those issues and others such as juveniles hanging out with known drug dealers and loitering around businesses.
Loitering groups often leads to fights and even shootings, he said.
Fontenot has been reporting juveniles as a source of street crime for more than a year. In April he called a public meeting to discuss the problem on May 12 a prayer walk was held through an area off East Maple.