Bill would expand governor’s power to call on National Guard to fight crime

The governor would have the power to call in the National Guard to help fight crime in metro areas with high murder rates, according to a new bill pre-filed in the Louisiana Legislature. According to the bill by Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, the governor—instead of the mayor or parish president—would be authorized to deploy the National Guard in high-crime municipalities of at least 200,000 residents if the murder rate exceeds 45 killings per 100,000 in a calendar year. Though Badon drafted the bill specifically for New Orleans, it could apply to Baton Rouge if the murder rate here continues to climb. Last year Baton Rouge had 28 killings per 100,000 residents, and in 2009 it reached 34, its highest rate on record. Giving the governor such broad powers isn’t intended to take authority away from municipal leaders, according to Badon, who notified New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu but not Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden when he filed the bill. Rather, the aim is to find an expedient solution to rampant crime, he says. “The idea is to basically allow the governor to go in and address crime and law enforcement issues without having his or her hands tied and without waiting on a request from the mayor or the president of the municipality,” Badon says. —Stephanie Riegel