N.O. crime commission considers expansion into B.R.

It’s up to the business community to lead the way in combating corruption. That’s the message the head of New Orleans’ Metropolitan Crime Commission will deliver to the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge at its lunch meeting today. “All you have to be is in denial,” says MCC Executive Director Rafael Goyeneche III. “If you don’t acknowledge the potential for corruption, that is exactly the kind of environment it can flourish in.” The MCC was established in New Orleans 60 years ago to serve as a conduit between the private sector and law enforcement, though Goyeneche says it wasn’t until after Hurricane Katrina that members of the business community really stepped up and started reporting the kind of corruption that has earned Louisiana a reputation for being a difficult place to do business. The MCC has looked at expanding into Baton Rouge and will do so if the local business community shows an interest in reporting potential wrongdoing. “We’ll come there if we start to get reports,” Goyeneche says. “Our corruption hotline is toll-free, and we’re statewide.” —Stephanie Riegel