‘What can we do?’

Councilman Francis Plaisance is alarmed by the continued act of shots being fired within the city limits of Abbeville.
Plaisance addressed Chief of Police Mike Hardy during the latter’s comment time during Tuesday’s Abbeville City Council meeting.
“First of all, I think you have the most difficult job in the city,” Plaisance told the chief. “I want to establish that. However, we have a serious, serious crime problem in our city. I know you are aware of that.”
Plaisance, who served on the council from 2006 to ‘22, before returning after a special election earlier this year, said he is concerned that one shot may claim the life of an innocent person.
“We had an elderly lady, 81 years old,” Plaisance said. “A bullet goes through her house and ends up in the headboard. Only because she got up to use the bathroom was she saved. We have bullet holes in houses, and I’m just really concerned that we’re just setting the stage for some bad incident to happen.
“What can we do?”
Hardy said one of the best things that anyone in the community can do is provide information when possible.
“When they see something or hear something,” Hardy said, “report it. The worst thing is to shut your door and forget about it. It’s not going to go away.”
Hardy explained that the department is following up on the incident Plaisance referenced. He said the department is also working closely with the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry’s office under the reactivated Violent Crimes Task Force.
“We are putting this together to have a foundation to lay it out,” Hardy said of potential cases to be made that would follow arrests. “We want to have something saying that this person was shooting at that person. This person is from another part of town and is shooting at the other guys. Who is connected to whom? Who stands in the middle? Who is gaining by these people shooting every night or every other night?”
Hardy said he shares the feelings of frustration and concern.
“I’m sick and tired of it,” Hardy said, “just like you guys are. I know something needs to be done.”
The chief views numerous options as being on the table. That includes the possibility of a curfew, a move Hardy made in February of 2023 after a shooting at a lounge on the La. Hwy. 14 By-Pass that injured four people.
“We may have to start the curfew again,” Hardy said. “I may not be at 8 p.m., but maybe 10 p.m. Anybody on the streets is going to be stopped. It’s something that we have to consider. We want to do our investigative part first. We want to make sure the sheriff’s office knows what’s going on. When we have extra patrols on the road, and we’re stopping people, everybody understands why.”
Mayor Roslyn White said the city is open to any and all help, whether that comes from local, state or federal agencies, including the Violent Crimes Task Force. White added that a major part of the process is suspects being involved in incidents after previously being arrested in other cases.
“Until we all work together,” White said, “we are never going to get these people off the streets, and put them away with cases that keep them locked up. The chief is now working with the sheriff’s office. I have offered that if he wants to dedicate a detective working with the sheriff’s office (with the task force), we will fund that if he decides to move forward.
“We know that once we catch them, we have to prove the case.”
White said she is open to any other ideas that lead to a solution.
“I think one shot being fired in this city is too many,” White said. “We’re way too small, and there’s no way that no one knows what’s going on.”
White thanked Hardy for working with the sheriff’s office.
“I think they bring a lot of resources to the table,” White said. “It’s not that our department can’t do it, but we need all the help we can get.”
Councilwoman Terry Broussard said she contacted Hardy about one of the shootings.
“I spoke to the lady whose house had bullet holes,” Broussard told the chief on Tuesday. “She commended your officers. She was really pleased with their professionalism and with what they had to do. I know we always hear bad, but I wanted to share some good with you.”
Hardy said those situations serve to strengthen trust between the department and the community, which can help build cases. Hardy said the police respond to crimes and shootings, but the community plays a vital role when it comes to information.
“I have people who may not call our department,” Hardy said, “but they will call me. I give out cards to everyone. You have to get information where you can.”
Hardy said neighborhood watch meetings continue, with the effort seeing increased participation.
“These provide information on how to keep safe if you have a crime in your neighborhood,” Hardy said. “Please call us. We are out there every day.”
Plaisance said he appreciated Tuesday’s discussion. Hopefully, it helps avoid a tragedy, he added.
“If an innocent human being at home in bed gets killed,” Plaisance said, “you will hear an outcry from this council and the public like you have never heard before.”