No Raises for Cops; $140M for Stadium

by Brianna Dunn

SPOA President Michael Carter

The Shreveport Police Officer’s Association in Lousiana is strongly opposing a “G” league basketball arena that will end up costing the city over $140 million.

After years and years of asking for a much-needed and well-deserved pay raise, the millions approved for the arena is infuriating, says Shreveport POA President Michael Carter. “We always hear the same thing: We don’t have any money, stop asking,” he said. “Then one day it turns into, well, we still don’t have any money, but here’s a basketball arena that the city will never see a return on.”

A pay raise for Shreveport cops has been shot down over and over again. It was vetoed under former mayor Cedric Glover in 2008, voted down by city council members in 2012, and deliberately ignored since February of 2015 by Mayor Ollie Tyler. The recent 5 to 2 City Council vote approving the stadium and stiffing the cops showed once again that the public’s safety is not the priority of the city.

“What has become painfully clear, is that people who run the City of Shreveport have no respect for the work we do, or the sacrifices we make every single day.” Carter said. “We always believed they didn’t respect us, but now it is completely certain.”

Carter noted that in just one week Shreveport had two shootings and four homicides – serious crime the city is choosing to ignore.

“I mean, this is public information. Shooting after shooting, robbery after robbery. In order to ignore this, you have to literally detach yourself from reality,” Carter said. “If the city can’t spend money on public safety, why are they spending money at all?

Shreveport officers are fed up and have completely lost faith in city leadership. They are underpaid and overworked, and the plan to spend millions on a basketball stadium is a slap in the face.

“As a union leader, I am so sick of seeing my members suffer,” he said. “I won’t tolerate this. If this arena goes up, I am telling you, heads will roll. Imagine if the city gave us that money, you wouldn’t even recognize the department. Shreveport would be a totally different place,” “Carter said, the frustration clear in his voice.

To see Michael Carter’s full press conference, CLICK HERE.

Brianna Dunn is a staff reporter for American Police Beat and PubSecAlliance.