Shreveport council presses for cameras, lighting and earlier park closures after Ford Park shooting

Councilwoman Taylor and other Shreveport City Council members at their June 10 meeting pressed the administration and police for faster action on park safety after a shooting at Ford Park during the previous evening’s holiday weekend events.

The council’s chair, Councilwoman Taylor, said she visited the scene and described it as “traumatic,” urging immediate deployment of equipment and staff the council already has funded. “Put the lights in the park. Put the cameras at the park like we asked. Put them there,” she said.

The city’s police chief, identified in the meeting as Chief Wayne, told the council that the department received the call at about 9:01 p.m., transferred the dispatch one minute later and that a K‑9 unit “was en route” within minutes. He said the only two Area 3 cars assigned to the park’s beat were responding to another fight call at the time and that staggered shift changes limited immediate coverage. “At 21:04, he was dispatched there,” the chief said in describing the sequence of responses.

Council members and the chief agreed the city has previously approved money for trailers, monitoring and cameras, and several members argued the equipment should be deployed to “hot spot” parks immediately. Councilman Brooks said the issue had appeared on the Public Safety Committee agenda and urged a stronger, operational follow through. “We specifically asked about the parks,” Brooks said.

Several members pressed for a policy change on park hours. Councilman Brooks and others said closing parks earlier in high‑risk months might reduce nighttime crowding and potential violence. “I do not have any objections closing a park at 08:00,” Brooks said during the meeting’s debate.

Council members also renewed calls for a permanent park‑ranger or dedicated parks enforcement program previously discussed in budget meetings. Taylor asked administration staff to come to the next public safety meeting with a cost estimate for a park‑ranger program and proposals for how those positions would be certified and deployed.

The mayor’s office and police said the department will continue to use camera trailers and the real‑time crime center to monitor high‑risk locations, and that resources are shifted as needs arise across the city. Council members said they want those assets prioritized for parks that have recurring crowding and safety issues.

The council directed staff to provide a written timeline for deploying cameras and lighting to priority parks and requested a report on options for earlier park closures and a cost estimate for a park‑ranger program.

A formal staff briefing on police statistics and further public safety items was scheduled for the council’s next meeting.