SafeBR announces findings from law enforcement and public safety services assessment
Results show Baton Rouge can achieve cost savings, increase quality of public safety services, and enhance accountability and public trust through a unified force
Baton Rouge, LA – SafeBR today announced the results from its study of best practices for strengthening and investing in public safety. In response to requests from law enforcement leaders and public officials, the SafeBR coalition commissioned 21CP to conduct the study. The study aimed to determine how best to strengthen recruitment, pay, resources, and efficacy of law enforcement across the parish. Findings demonstrate that Baton Rouge could realize significant enhancements in resourcing and supporting public safety with a unified approach to law enforcement.
Specific findings from the study include:
Law enforcement in Baton Rouge is “top-heavy”; all vacancies are in the patrol functions versus departmental leadership;
If the community were to spend at the national average, savings of over $50 million could be realized to invest in higher pay, filling patrol vacancies, and investing in public safety technology and justice needs;
Peer cities realized approximately 20% savings following unification efforts; and
A unified approach to officer recruitment, incorporating best practices from both BRPD and EBRSO, could help fill vacancies and allow Baton Rouge to be more competitive regionally and nationally for officers.
The report outlines that pay and benefits for local law enforcement can be increased with the cost savings of a unified force. Further, based on the experiences of peer communities, a unified force can enhance public safety by streamlining accountability, improving community relations, building trust, and coordinating critical crime-fighting efforts such as narcotics and violent crime task forces.
While the report demonstrates the feasibility of a unified force, the experiences of other communities that have successfully navigated this process are an important guide for thoughtfully addressing the complex, practical considerations of such a transition. Leaders in Charlotte and Jacksonville noted the importance of a phased, strategic transition and implementation plan. Other communities, like Louisville, took the opportunity to adopt best practices from previously separate law enforcement agencies that were unified under a singular command.
The assessment is not a comprehensive view or evaluation of BRPD, EBRSO, or other law enforcement agencies in the parish. Rather, the study focused on how the agencies currently provide public safety services and the advantages, disadvantages, and critical considerations of a unified approach to law enforcement going forward considering rising safety, fiscal and other challenges. The study concludes with a set of critical questions – operational, legal, and one-time costs considerations – that law enforcement and other public leaders should answer in deciding how to move forward.
“We believe law enforcement officers and personnel in Baton Rouge deserve the best resources and support possible. We teamed with 21CP to study the efforts of other communities who have transformed resources and community policing tactics to improve safety and accountability. We stand ready to assist our public leaders in taking the next steps to support local law enforcement and community safety.”
“We support the brave men and women in law enforcement and want to find every way to support them with best practices and resources. Our community stands at a critical juncture. Negative headlines, fiscal pressures, and rising murder rates require an urgent response from our public leaders on how we can more comprehensively support and deliver on public safety. Whether through a unified force or other ideas, we as a community are coming together to demand and deliver solutions.”
To view the full study, visit SafeBR Efficiency Study
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For inquiries, please contact Ethan Bush at ethan@thirtythreestrategies.com.
SafeBR is a coalition of aligned public, private, and non-profit organizations dedicated to making Baton Rouge a safer community. Real-time SafeBR updates, crime statistics, funding priorities, and a comprehensive list of leaders in support of SafeBR can be viewed by the public at www.safebr.org.21CP Solutions helps cities and communities effectively tackle the challenges of delivering safe, effective, just, and constitutional public safety services in the 21st Century. They empower communities across the country to develop and implement equitable and integrity-driven public safety – grounded in building trust and strengthening relationships. 21CP Solution’s trusted experts work on the ground in communities and police departments across the country – leading large departments, assisting smaller agencies, and working directly with non-governmental organizations. Public safety led by, and in partnership with, the community is not a theoretical enterprise for 21CP.