By Kenny Kuhn | WWL.com | February 7, 2020
Juvenile crime, particularly vehicle burglary, is a growing problem for residents and city leaders in New Orleans. But city leaders announced they are taking action in the form of electronic ankle monitors.
“This monitor is a mechanism, that forces the child the juvenile to comply or there will be a consequence for it,” said Rafael Goyeneche, President New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission. “There really is no downside to doing this. There is only an upside both for the juvenile offender and for the community.”
Goyeneche said the monitor does more than just scare juveniles into staying home and not committing crimes in the streets. “The monitor is being monitored by law enforcement,” he says. “There is an alarm that goes off on the ankle to alert them that you are not where you are supposed to be.”
He also says the ankle monitors will only be reserved for juveniles who commit serious crimes. “You are not going to put monitors on children who were arrested maybe for petty shoplifting. The judges are not going to default to that. They are going to use their discretion and experience to put them on juveniles who commit more serious felonies,” Goyeneche said.
Funding for the ankle monitor program falls under the city’s need for public safety which the New Orleans Police Department’s budget, covers. “So the city’s responsibility, financially, is funding an effective public safety strategy and electronic monitoring is a part of that,” said Goyeneche.
The city has not announced when the electronic ankle monitoring system will be implemented.