Police in the Town of Duson appear to have tackled more tough cases than they normally do. The results show an increase in violent crime and drop in property crime.

The police chief says Duson has had two additional homicides since 2016.  Chief Kip Judice reports four more cases of simple burglary.

However, auto theft is down from ten to two thefts over the course of two years.  Chief Judice says the homicide cases his department worked are cases that are difficult to patrol.

In January, the chief says a father was accused of using force and killing a child. In October, a man was shot standing outside his home on Toby Mouton Road.    

“The daddy and the baby, you really can’t patrol against that.  How do you stop a domestic issue like that,” the chief says.

The chief says burglaries are not down but they were maintained. Auto theft went from ten to two.”Normally whenever someone steals a vehicle; they’re not just stealing a vehicle to ride around in,” Lt. James Hodges of Duson Police states.

Lt. Hodges says tackling auto thefts puts a dent in a suspect’s plan to commit other crimes along with having transportation to commit those crimes.

Hodges says it’s not uncommon for a stolen vehicle to be involved in a high speed pursuit where people could be killed. “There’s been recent incidents in Louisiana where a vehicle pursuit has occurred and that lead to an officer’s death,” adds Lt. Hodges.

The chief says he’s switching his focus to technology. Chief Judice says he’s working with other police departments using crime cameras.

Chief Judice says the cameras will allow police to look at who came into Duson within the time span a crime occurred. “So you take that and you look at it;  you reduce the number of people you have to talk to or investigate and potentially put you onto a suspect,” the chief says.