The Metropolitan Crime Commission, a New Orleansarea watchdog group, is expanding into Southwest Louisiana. As it should.
The group’s president, Rafael Goyeneche, told the American Press last week that the decision to move was made based on the need to report on the efficiency of police agencies and the state district court in Calcasieu Parish.
Goyeneche said the project will use the same key indicators of efficiency and performance that the National Center for State Courts uses, including inventory size and the amount of time a case takes to move through the system. He said judges will be compared with their peers and not with those in other jurisdictions.
Goyeneche said reports will also be issued on the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff ’s Office and other arresting agencies, as well as the District Attorney’s Office. The reports will examine the outcomes of all felony cases processed in the court, he said.
“We will share the information with the public,” Goyeneche said. “And we will share the findings of our reports to the individual agencies, providing them with information that they didn’t necessarily have before so that they can make more strategic and informed decisions about how to use their resources and better serve the community and make it safer.”
The best way to keep our court system and all involved effective and efficient is to keep it accountable.
“I believe the results, the benefits of it, will start immediately,” Goyeneche told the American Press. “We have met with all the criminal justice officials. They know what we are going to be doing and have pledged their cooperation and support to us.”
Goyeneche said the point of the watchdog group is to help, not hinder.
But “if there is a problem, we will talk about it,” he said.
Watchdog groups help raise the bar by alerting others when a problem is detected, especially in circumstances where a significant portion of the public would demand changes. They are similar to a guard dog that barks when it notices a problem.
Watchdog groups exist to provide oversight and rating of actions.
Every government, big or small, needs to be held accountable.
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This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the board, whose members are CRYSTAL STEVENSON, JOHN GUIDROZ, EMILY FONTENOT, retired editor JIM BEAM and retired staff writer MIKE JONES.