Police chief responds to chamber’s burglary concerns

A troubling flurry of burglaries ended in late September after police stepped up night patrols, which resulted in people being charged for walking in the dark without reflective gear on their clothing, Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue told members of the Chamber of Commerce.
That regular monthly chamber meeting, on Wednesday, October 15, came a month after chamber members talked about a spike in burglaries of Ville Platte businesses.
During this month’s meeting, Chief Lartigue explained police procedures, and said the crime lab can take months to match fingerprints the city submits for examination.
He said he receives reports each month from pawn shops that police investigators search for possible matches, but that most things stolen from businesses or houses are sold to people away from Ville Platte,
Responding to people who complained last month of a lack of follow-up by police on the status of an investigation into a business burglary, the chief said a new policy requires affected businesses to be contacted after the investigation begins.