Kenner, La. (WGNO)— The City of Kenner consistently ranks as one of the safest places to live in the state and the new police chief plans to keep it that way.
There have only been 4 homicides in the city this year, and all 4 have been cleared by arrest.
Chief Keith Conley took office in early June and he stated, “I was lucky to get this department. This department has been well run for the last 20-30 years.”
Conley should know, he spent over 20 years with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, then as city attorney and city prosecutor.
The chief attributes much of the success of the department to the residents of Kenner, “We have total buy-in. The stakeholders, they support us. They know that if they see something unusual to pick up the phone an dial 911.”
So far this year, all major crime categories have trended down, but vehicle burglaries and auto thefts continue at 184 and 96, respectively. A percentage of the thefts are from people failing to return rental cars.
According to Conley, “Car burglaries for unlocked cars have gone down but I’ve also known that our activity on the road has gone up.”
What the chief worries about is the prospect of an active shooter at a school. The department has initiated relationships with various school agencies across the city to fortify campuses and insure student safety.
“We’ve learned a lot from what we’ve seen across the nation. So I think that anybody that sites in this chair or any other chair in law enforcement has to worry about the mass shootings that are going on across the country,” said Conley.