City leaders trying a new approach to crime fighting

BATON ROUGE, LA (NBC33) — It’s something most people in Baton Rouge can agree on. Crime has gotten out of hand in the capital city. Law enforcement leaders say what they’re doing now just isn’t working, so they’re trying something new. It’s called “Operation Cease Fire,” and it’s already being used in lots of big cities across the country.

The goal is to identify the most violent groups in the city and then reach out to them. Law enforcement will target the leaders of those groups, letting them know that if one person does wrong, everyone gets penalized. It’s not just crime fighters that will talk to the violent offenders, but the faith-based community and former offenders as well. If the program works as planned, the whole community will be working together to break up the groups that commit the most crime.

Tonight on NBC33 News at 6:30 Kelsey Scram [1] will tell us what law enforcement leaders have to say about the program and how they think it will work.