A Coordinated Effort to Strengthen Downtown Shreveport
Downtown Shreveport is taking action.
Operation: SEE, SIGN & SECURE brings together THREE strategic areas of activation:
Together, these efforts are intended to address both the conditions affecting Downtown Shreveport and the public perception of those conditions.
Partners
Operation: SEE SIGN SECURE
Technology. Awareness. Response.
Operation: SEE expands the use of public safety technology throughout Downtown Shreveport to create a more proactive approach to identifying and responding to activity that may affect public safety.
Initial funding for additional technology has been secured and is being deployed in designated areas of downtown. New locations are currently being evaluated and additional funding is being secured for more installations. All will be proactively monitored by the City of Shreveport Real Time Crime Center.
The goal:
- Strengthen situational awareness
- Support law enforcement response
- Identify activity and conditions proactively
- Help reduce crime
- Help address the perception of crime
Technology is one part of a larger strategy designed to help downtown partners and public safety agencies see what is happening, respond more effectively and identify emerging issues earlier.
Operation: SEE SIGN SECURE
Consistency. Accountability. Education.
Operation: SIGN focuses on enhanced and more consistent enforcement of public safety and quality-of-life ordinances and regulations throughout Downtown Shreveport.
Areas of focus include:
- Prohibited open consumption of alcohol outside licensed establishments
- Marijuana consumption where prohibited by state law
- Public nuisance and quality-of-life violations
- Aggressive panhandling
- Other conditions that negatively affect the downtown environment
Enforcement & Education
Effective enforcement is strengthened when it is paired with education and access to resources.
That’s why Operation: SIGN includes A Better Way Anti-Panhandling, a public-awareness initiative being implemented in partnership with community organizations. A change in community behavior is important as well as the judicious use of law enforcement when necessary for extreme, aggressive and habitual instances of panhandling.
A Better Way
This activation provides the public with a better way to give to individuals experiencing hardship.
Rather than giving directly to individuals panhandling in public spaces, the campaign encourages people who want to help to give with purpose by supporting organizations equipped to provide meaningful assistance, resources and connections to services.
Educational and promotional materials, along with digital resources connecting individuals to appropriate service organizations, will be made readily available and widely distributed.
The objective is not simply to address panhandling. It is to connect people to resources while helping the public understand how they can make a meaningful difference.
Operation: SEE SIGN SECURE
Presence. Partnerships. Permanent Solutions.
Operation: SECURE brings together multiple strategies designed to create both immediate improvements and long-term solutions for Downtown Shreveport.
Two key components are at the center of the initiative:
1. Downtown To Home
Multiple agencies and community organizations, led by HOPE connections, are working together through Downtown To Home (D2H) to address homelessness within Downtown Shreveport.
The initiative is specifically addressing the estimated four dozen unsheltered individuals currently living within the downtown area.
GOAL Secure permanent, safe housing for 90% of the current downtown unsheltered population by September 30, 2027.
D2H recognizes that lasting change requires more than moving people from one location to another. It requires connecting individuals with housing, services and the resources necessary to support permanent outcomes.
2. Downtown Public Safety Initiative (DPSI)
A More Visible Presence Downtown
Designed to enhance public safety through a highly visible, proactive and professionally managed security patrol operating in coordination with law enforcement. It is intended to provide a consistent presence throughout areas where businesses, residents, employees and visitors interact every day.
THE OPERATING AREA WILL INCLUDE:
- Key commercial corridors
- Gateway locations
- Public spaces
- High-density business areas
- Entertainment venues
- Riverfront and trail areas
- Parking facilities
- Adjacent pedestrian routes
Why A Visible Presence Matters
Downtown Shreveport requires a security approach that addresses both actual public safety concerns and the public’s perception of safety.
Conditions such as these can affect the experience of businesses, residents, employees, visitors, property owners and event attendees:
- Suspicious activity
- Visible disorder
- Poorly lit areas
- Maintenance concerns
- Parking-area activity
- Pedestrian safety issues
- Event-related crowd movement
A consistent, seven-day-per-week security presence staffed by well-trained, highly mobile personnel can help identify these conditions early, report them through appropriate channels and support a safer, more welcoming downtown environment.
DPSI: WHAT IT WILL DO
Provide an additional, visible layer of security throughout the downtown area.
Initial operations will include:
Visible, uniformed, certified personnel
Utilizing marked patrol assets throughout the designated operating area.
Business & Visitor Engagement
Routine interaction with businesses, employees, residents and visitors.
Incident Documentation
Documenting observed conditions and activities through established reporting procedures.
Daily & Monthly Reporting
Providing measurable activity reports to help identify trends, challenges and opportunities.
Supervisor Oversight
Maintaining accountability and consistency through professional supervision.
Clear Escalation Procedures
Connecting observed concerns to the appropriate law enforcement, medical, maintenance or quality-of-life response.
An Important Distinction
DPSI Supplements. It Does Not Replace Law Enforcement.
Supplementing the authority and responsibilities of the:
- Shreveport Police Department
- Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office
- City Marshal personnel
- Other public-safety agencies operating within Downtown Shreveport
A Continuing Commitment
“Operation SEE SIGN SECURE represents a coordinated approach to challenges that cannot be addressed through a single one-time action, agency or organization. By combining technology, consistent enforcement, education, public safety presence, community partnerships and pathways to permanent solutions, Downtown Shreveport stakeholders are creating an operating framework focused on visibility, accountability and measurable progress.”
Mayor Tom Arceneaux
City of Shreveport
“This is not a single project. It is an ongoing commitment to seeing the challenges, addressing them with action and securing solutions that move Downtown Shreveport forward. Our downtown reflects our history but also is the heartbeat of Shreveport’s future. Meaningful revitalization efforts don’t begin with grand ideas; they begin with doing the fundamentals exceptionally well.”
Cedric B. Glover
Executive Director, Shreveport Downtown Development Authority
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