Harlan Kirgan
Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot says FBI crime statistics confirm what he has been telling people.
“This crime is not as bad as they say it is right now in Eunice,” he said after being told about the statistics showing crime rates are down over the past 20 years in Eunice.
“I would like to say it is because of good law enforcement,” he said. “But I really can’t explain why it is going down. Why the low numbers right now. But that’s what I’ve been trying to say and nobody seems like they want to believe me. They want us to say crime is real bad in Eunice.”
Fontenot said he has worked in law enforcement since the 1980s here and he can tell by the paperwork that criminal activity has declined.
“Eunice is still a good, quiet city,” he said.
“I still feel safe walking around town,” he said.
There are areas where the danger has increased and one factor that troubles him is there is more gunplay now.
“That is the one thing I see more ...” he said.
The gunplay is reason for concern and especially in the neighborhoods where it is occurring, he said.
Fontenot said there is a perception that there is more crime in Eunice than in years past, but thinks social media has a lot to do with that.
“People are hearing a lot more about it and it is more instant news to them. They don’t have to wait until the newspaper comes out,” he said.
Today people hear about crime across the city. In the past, “...you didn’t necessarily hear about it on the other side of town unless you knew somebody on that side of town.”
The increased awareness is not all bad, he said. But the nearly instantaneous spread of news on social media can put people on edge, he said.