NEW ORLEANS — After Wednesday night’s Pelicans game, the rash of car break ins seem to be calming down.
For the past few weeks, after almost every Pelicans or Saints game we’ve heard from fans who have come out of the game to a smashed car window, or even a stolen car.
In a statement to WWL, NOPD said, in checking with the first, sixth and eighth districts, there were no reports of vehicle burglary incidents in the vicinity of the Smoothie King Center during and immediately following the Pelicans game.
Sixth district officers did arrest a 14-year-old male suspect in the investigation of a vehicle burglary incident reported just before 8 p.m. that occurred at the intersection of Annunication and Euterpe.
It is unclear if this incident had any relation to the Pelicans game or any other ongoing investigations.
The lack of shattered glass may be a result of action taken by the city and parking lot companies to curb the burglaries. WWL found an increased police presence and private security around the CBD, during Wednesday night’s Pelicans game.
City council has been pushing parking lot companies to hire attendants to man the lots during big events. CEO of Premium Parking, Jim Huger, says attendants aren’t as impactful as police.
“There’s been a lot of effort on behalf of the city council to really push all of us to kind of come together to make sure we have a police presence out on the parking lots during special events especially but I think just the better awareness that public safety is really important for the stability of our city is really what’s paramount,” Huger said. “It’s an adjustment for us. These are attendants they’re talking about in these parking lots although we think that’s important for us to work with the city, attendants aren’t police officers and I think that’s what’s most important, we get a police presence for all our citizens.”
Huger says Premium Parking lots already have cameras. Other parking lot companies are taking additional measures.
Following Wednesday’s game, WWL did find security cameras and additional lighting being installed in a parking lot at the corner of Poydras and O’Keefe, owned by SP Plus.
