For years, the Baton Rouge Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Foundation (LECJF) has helped local law enforcement agencies invest in technology and equipment. Most notably, its Page/Rice Public Safety Initiative increased camera coverage in high-crime and high-traffic areas and added license plate readers along interstates and highways. Now, the organization is spearheading a new approach to crime prevention and public safety in north Baton Rouge, starting with the Inspiration Center at Howell Community Park.
“Every child in our parish has the potential to be great. We just have to give them the tools and the resources to do so,” Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said at the groundbreaking ceremony last month.
For Inspiration Center committee chairman Lamar Davis, Ret. Col., the project is close to home. He offers a unique perspective as someone who grew up in the area and benefitted from programs offered at Howell Community Park, and as the retired Louisiana State Police Superintendent with nearly three decades of military and law enforcement experience…