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Gov. Landry submits request to deploy 1,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen across the state
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BATON ROUGE - Governor Jeff Landry submitted a request to the U.S. Department of War on Monday night for 1,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen to deploy across the state and address "ongoing public safety concerns regarding high crime rates throughout the State."
In his letter to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Landry mentioned Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge as cities with "elevated violent crime rates ... coupled with critical personnel shortages within local law enforcement."
Landry said that Guardsmen would "deploy throughout the state to urban centers, supplement law enforcement presence in high-crime areas, provide logistical and communication support, and secure critical infrastructure."
The governor ended his request by saying that the use of National Guardsmen during hurricanes, the Jan. 1 terrorist attack in New Orleans, Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras showed a 50% crime reduction. There has been a particularly steep drop in 2025 that has put it on pace to have its lowest number of killings in more than five decades.
ABC News reports that preliminary data from the city police department shows that there have been 75 homicides in 2025, which includes the 14 revelers who were killed on New Year’s Day during a truck attack on Bourbon Street. Last year, there were 124 homicides. In 2023, there were 193.
In Baton Rouge, there has also been a decrease in homicides compared to last year. Data also shows, however, that robberies and assaults are on pace to surpass last year’s numbers.
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