Two months after its announcement, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office provided initial data on the operations of the violent crime task force.
In January, LPSO and LCG held a press conference on the creation of the task force which includes the Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. Its goal — target gun crimes, remove illegal guns from the street, and leverage investigations with new technologies.
According to LPSO, in just over eight weeks, the task force handled 568 calls in total. 524 of those calls were self-initiated based on probable cause.
As a result, 43 weapons have been recovered from the streets of Lafayette Parish by law enforcement. In addition, 47 narcotics investigations have been initiated and illegal narcotics valued at nearly $350,000 were seized, they say.
LPSO adds that 46 new felony arrests and 24 misdemeanors have been executed by task force members since its launch on January 3, 2022. The number of felony and misdemeanor warrants cleared by arrest currently stands at 39 and six, respectively.
“Through our intelligence efforts, we have identified several groups in the Acadiana area that operate all or in part in Lafayette. These groups, while relatively small in number, are primarily responsible for the rise in homicides and shootings. If we do not proactively pursue this criminal activity, it stands to pose a direct threat to the safety and well-being of this community,” said Sheriff Mark Garber.
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