BY: KERRY M. KIRSPEL
In an effort to increase transparency in the Shreveport Police Department, a group of local business leaders presented a check to the agency for $100,000 for the purchase of body cameras for police officers.
Concerned Business People of Shreveport and Roy Griggs, owner/operator of Griggs Enterprise McDonald’s, made the presentation Wednesday morning.
Griggs said the genesis of the donation came from the death of George Floyd and the nationwide outcry and protests that followed. “And I said, ‘We can’t have that happen here in our city.’ We have good citizens here, we have good police officers here, but there is a need for transparency, to build that trust among the community and the police department here,” he said.
“Body cams are not going to solve all of our problems here in Shreveport,” he said. “There’s a deeper issue here. We’ve got to talk about the racism here. Body cams are, I think, a part where we can start. That’s the transparency, the accountability.”
Griggs said he reached out to business partners, “and they all jumped on board.”
“This is something that everybody can be a part of. We want it to be a city-wide effort,” Griggs said.
“We want to make that difference here in Shreveport. It’s going to take everyday citizens to help us make this a kinder city that our mayor wants, that you want, that I want, so we can do business here and be proud of our city here, that our kids will want to come back here. So we’re all going to have to get involved to make this a better place to work and to live.”
The $100,000 donation is half of a $200,000 goal needed to supply a total of 400 body cameras for local police officers.
The purchase will not be immediate, as the city will look for the most economical means to supply these cameras, which should be purchased sometime in August.
Among the businesses and business leaders who have contributed are Fire Tech Systems, AT&T, attorney Jackie Scott, Superior Bar and Grill, Origin Bank, Carter Federal Credit Union, Builders Supply Company Inc., John E. Atkins and more.
Following the check presentation, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins said, “Today marks a day of progress for our city. It marks a day where we stepped forward as a city. It marks a day where we are bridging that law enforcement/civil divide that has been referenced often today. But we would not be here if not for the business leaders in our community like Mr. Roy Griggs … for the concerned business people in Shreveport.
“Oftentimes you see a movement, and it’s too singular, so at the end of the day you don’t get the progress that you want. Right now, not just in the city of Shreveport, not just in the state of Louisiana, but across our country, we are seeing a movement that is so robust it includes clergy, it includes business leaders, it includes activists, and we are seeing those changes take place every single day.
“I want to thank 45 Days of Action as well for setting an example, again not just for the city of Shreveport but for the country on what peaceful protest looks like, on what meaningful change looks like, taking protests and actually changing it into meaningful policy,” he said.
“This is the 21st century, it’s 2020. It is no reason why we have to rely on civilian cell phone footage for justice to be served in the United States of America. Today allows us to equip our officers with body cameras, to not just protect civilians, but protect our officers who are out there every single day risking their lives to keep us safe.
“We’re going to make sure that meaningful policy is also attached to these body cams because body cameras alone will not create the changes that we’re all looking for, will not create the changes that you put your dollars on. So I’ll be working with the city council, I’ll be working with other leadership around the area to make sure that we can get those policies enacted in the Shreveport Police Department.”
For persons or businesses that would like to contribute to the purchase of the body cams, an account has been set up at Carter Federal Credit Union. “No amount is too large, no amount is too small — $5, $10, $20, it all adds up,” Griggs said.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE July 3 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.