Lex Talamo

Shreveport Times

The Shreveport Police Officer's Association expressed opposition Wednesday to the $150 million-plus mixed-use development proposed this week by the mayor.

The association said in a news release that public safety should be the city's priority, not pursuing a professional basketball team. It also said officers deserve a raise.

Also Wednesday, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority said materials distributed Tuesday by city officials may have overstated the authority's current level support for the mixed-use development.

Mayor Ollie Tyler asked the City Council on Tuesday for approval to begin steps to secure up to $30 million in revenue bonds to help pay for a sports complex that would include an indoor arena with seating for 3,200 and other other sports-related facilities. The council voted 5-2 to approve the resolution.

The Tyler plan includes a mixed-use development combining retail, professional offices, apartments and entertainment venues, to be developed with up to $139 million private money, city officials said.

Shreveport is one of two finalists to serve as the home of a developmental, or G-League, team for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. City officials intend the arena as a sweetener in its bid to win the G-League team over the other finalists, Pensacola, Florida.

"In an astonishing vote of 5-2, the Shreveport City Council proved, in our opinion, that public safety is not their priority," the police officer's association news release said. "With shootings almost daily, we watch our City leaders ponder dreams of a 'G' league arena."

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The Shreveport Police Officer's Association is a local association classified by the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities as a "fraternal beneficiary society" that provides payment of life, sickness, accident or other benefits to members.

The association's news release points to infrastructure concerns, almost-daily shootings and other ongoing public safety concerns as priorities for the city. The release also cited the lack of a pay raise for police officers for more than 11 years.

"Many excuses have been provided, however, the 'lack of funds' has been a consistent plea from City Administration," the news release states. "Now, a new venture requiring more than $30,000,000.00 of tax payer's money, with interest, is being aggressively pursued."

Shreveport police officers who have served at least three years now receive a 2 percent annual raise. Although not required, city government has provided the annual raises, called "longevity pay," to match state-required raises for fire department employees.

Officers also receive "step" increases as they rise in rank, said SPD Deputy Chief Bill Goodin in a July interview with The Times.

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The city's chief administrative officer, Brian Crawford, said Wednesday that officers also receive thousands in state supplemental pay and education incentive pay when eligible.

"No one will argue that Shreveport police officers deserve an increase over and beyond what they received annually," Crawford wrote in an emailed statement. "Mayor Tyler appreciates their unselfish and heroic service to the citizens."

He added: "We're working on trying to get their base pay up, the same as with the other city employees who have not received any raise for years."

The city also has spent more than $4.5 million for more than 100 new police vehicles since Tyler took office, Crawford said.

Crawford said the city also has invested in the Shreveport Police Department, including the decision in July to draw $150,000 for overtime hours for police patrol from the city's operating reserve.

Council members James Flurry and Willie Bradford voted against moving forward with the "Shreveport Sports Complex Project" at the council meeting on Tuesday. However, some other council members stressed that Tuesday's vote did not obligate the city to spend money on the development. A final council vote is scheduled for Sept. 12.

Councilman Jeff Everson emphasized at the meeting that the 5-2 vote was only the first of "numerous steps" to be taken before the council commits financial support for the mixed-use development and sports complex.

The Downtown Development Authority has not decided whether to endorse Tyler's proposed development, said Executive Director Liz Swaine.

DDA was among 16 local organizations listed in a packet distributed by city officials under the heading "community support."

Among the material distributed Tuesday by city officials was a letter from DDA Board Chairman Christine Bailey, who wrote in part:

"Having a professional basketball team would provide additional recreational and sporting opportunities for our region and will certainly enhance opportunities to market the area to tourists who enjoy sports of all kinds."

Swaine said Wednesday that the Tyler Administration had asked the DDA to write a letter of support prior to the mayor's presentation to the Pelicans. Swaine said the DDA agreed to send the letter after a "spirited discussion."

"At that point, we had basic information – that the city intended to make a presentation for the Pelicans' (G-League) and that the city was interested in building a facility near the convention center on Cross Bayou," Swaine wrote in an email. "We were given no presentation, nor did we have any information about the proposed development around the facility."

She said that the authority had not reached a "level of full support or endorsement" and that she still has many questions about the mixed-use development and complex – including what it could mean for properties and businesses downtown.

"This could be a wonderful thing for downtown, the city and region. We hope that it is," she said. "But there is additional due diligence on our part on behalf of downtown before a letter translates into a full-throated endorsement."