Abbeville council reviews crime stats over 10 years

Concerned about an increase in crime in the city, Abbeville Councilman Francis Touchet Jr. suggested in July that statistics be gathered and presented in an attempt to reach the source.
“Is it a breakdown in families or a lack of education?” Touchet asked at the time. “We have to get down to the root of what the problems are.”
Abbeville Police Department Lt. David Hardy presented the requested statistics during Tuesday’s regular city council meeting. The stats cover those arrested for violent crimes during the past 10 years.
Touchet prefaced the discussion to say that the focus is aimed in no particular direction.
“What we talk about is not directed at any particular group, race or gender,” Touchet said. “It is the facts and the facts only. These are numbers from the crime rate that has happened in the city in the last 10 years.”
Touchet, a former principal and teacher and currently with the state department of education, said education can certainly be looked at as a foundation for the discussion.
“I have looked at a sample of convicted felons from the City of Abbeville as far as their education level,” Touchet said. “I went over the last 10 years and pulled a sample of 35 convicted felons.
“What happened with them as far as education?”
Touchet explained that of 35 convicted felons who went through the Vermilion Parish School system, two of them graduated.
“Only two of these individuals got a high school diploma,” Touchet said. “Ninety-four percent of this sample did not graduate with a high school diploma.
“That’s significant and shows that education plays a factor.”
Touchet said he is by no means blaming the school system.
“This is not about a school system not doing a good job,” Touchet said. “We have a school system here that does a very good job. This is about the importance of education and keeping our kids in school. I think that is where it starts. We have to get families to value taking education seriously.”
The councilmen took a serious look at numbers Hardy presented on those arrested and on what charges. Those numbers broke down to:
• Attempted 1st Degree Murder - 10
• Attempted 2nd Degree Murder - 43
• 1st Degree Murder - 7
• 2nd Degree Murder - 7
• Aggravated Rape - 15
• Forcible Rape - 7
• Armed Robbery - 43
• Simple Robbery - 30
• Simple Rape - 1
• Manslaughter - 2
• Kidnapping - 2
• Home Invasion - 22
The age range of those arrested breakdowns to 5 percent under 20, 40 percent fall between 21-30, 31 percent are between 31-40, 12 percent between 41-50, 9 percent between 51-60, 2 percent between 61-70 and 1 percent for those between 71-80.
One percent of those arrested were Hispanic, 2 percent Asian, 18 percent Caucasian and 79 percent African American.
“We have to pay attention to what is going on,” Touchet said. “I am not sure if it is because of the lack of education or because it is coming from the family.
“We have to do something.”
Touchet said that begins with everyone coming together with ideas.
“Where can we start as a root to try to help prevent some of these crimes we are seeing?,” Touchet asked. “I think it is about people taking control of their communities. I want each of us as councilmen to come up with ideas, but I also ask that the public come back to the table with some ideas.
“We need to bring the City of Abbeville back together.”