Councilmembers Fielkow and Guidry Introduce Crime Fighting Ordinance
April 7, 2011 – New Orleans, LA - During today’s City Council meeting, Ordinance calendar number 28,434, co-authored by Councilmembers Arnie Fielkow and Susan Guidry, was introduced for first reading. The ordinance proposes to create a Gun Offender Registry within the New Orleans Police Department in order to enhance and optimize their protection efforts. The registry, which tracks convicted gun offenders, not firearms, does not in any way affect the general public’s right to legally possess a firearm. The proposed new law is supported by the New Orleans Police Department and is patterned after successful municipal laws enacted in the City of Baltimore and elsewhere.
The ordinance will require registration for all adults, and youth tried as adults, convicted of a gun offense in a Louisiana court and who are residing or domiciled in Orleans Parish. The registry will be comprised of information, including photographs and addresses of each offender, which will allow the NOPD to track violators already convicted of a crime where a firearm was involved.
The ordinance mandates that gun offenders convicted in a Louisiana court:
- have 48 hours after conviction or release from prison to register
- must personally appear at a designated NOPD office to update and verify registry information every six months
- must remain on registry for three years after conviction or release from prison
- have ten days after moving to or changing residences within Orleans Parish to update their registry information
Failure to comply carries a fine (the municipal maximum) of up to $500 or by imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. This ordinance would not apply to those defendants whose gun offense is pardoned or whose conviction of a gun offense is overturned on appeal.
The ordinance will be heard at the next Criminal Justice Committee meeting on April 27 at 2pm. The City Council is expected to vote on the ordinance during the April 28th City Council meeting.
“The NOPD should have all available resources at their fingertips in order to do their jobs as effectively as possible and keep our streets safe. This ordinance provides the NOPD the legal basis to create one more significant resource for their use. Additionally, I would like to stress that gun offender registries are a best practice that in no way violate any person’s right to legally bear a firearm. Gun offender registries have one goal, and that is to fight crime,” said Council President Fielkow.
“As co-chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, I hear pleas and concerns about public safety every day. I work closely with the NOPD in their fight against crime, and this piece of legislation will contribute to their success. Every person living in this city has the right to feel safe in their homes and on the street,” said Councilmember Susan Guidry, District “A”.
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Contact:
Danielle Viguerie
Communications Director
Office of Councilmember-at-Large Arnie Fielkow
Ph: 504-658-1063
daviguerie@nola.gov
