ST. LANDRY PARISH — So we are out in the community doing a community walk to meet the citizens of the community," said Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc.
Opelousas police hit the streets this week for a community walk, greeting residents one handshake at a time—with Police Chief Graig LeBlanc leading the way.
"Hey man, how's it going?" was just one of many friendly exchanges as Chief LeBlanc and his officers knocked on doors in neighborhoods near North Park. Their mission: to introduce themselves, listen to residents, and learn what changes people would like to see in their community.
“This is a way for us to get familiar with the people we're policing,” said Chief LeBlanc, emphasizing the importance of building personal connections with local residents.
For neighbors like Betty Charles, the visit made a big difference. “This is good for them to come out and check up on us. This feels good… this makes me feel really safe,” she said. Charles added that it’s the first time she can remember a police chief actually walking through her community.
During the walk, officers also listened to concerns and requests for help, including a resident who asked for assistance in removing a pile of debris next door.
City leaders joined in, including Alderman-at-Large Marvin Richard, who grew up in the neighborhood. “It's beautiful to see the officers out here, hearing the community concerns. Because we're getting the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Richard said.
The community walk is part of a larger effort by the Opelousas Police Department to build trust and strengthen relationships with those they serve.
We are doing this in multiple different parts of Opelousas because we want to know,we want the whole city to know that we are engaged in,in being a part of the city,walking the city along with concerned citizens and with some of our local elected officials,letting folks know that we are here to,to be of service," said Joe Anderson, with the Opelousas Police Department.
A spokesperson with the Police Department says they plan to have more community walks in the future.
