BATON ROUGE - As the city wraps up the year, law enforcement reflected on the homicide statistics from 2024 during a community walk through the Howell Park community Thursday, preparing for the opening of the INSPIRE Community Center at Howell Community Park.The group consisted of the Baton Rouge Police Department, Louisiana State Police, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and other community groups.Cathy Toliver doesn’t stop. Two years ago, her grandson Devin Page Jr. was killed while he was asleep in bed and a bullet pierced the wall. Now, she’s committed to helping others heal.“I'm committed, until the last breath leaves my body, to fight for justice for all,” Toliver said.During the walk, law enforcement met folks on their lawns and front porches, having brutally honest conversations about how crime has affected their way of life."You see it every time you turn on the news, to see that these parents are losing their children so close to the holidays,” one woman said. “It's sad."Earlier this week the WBRZ Investigative Unit reported that with two weeks left in the year, the homicide rate has matched 2023’s 81.Police Chief T.J. Morse attributes the rates to a spike at the beginning of the year with gang-related and retaliatory shootings. He says investing in community policing and walking the streets is imperative to solving the problems.“We have to pump a lot of dollars into crime prevention but also the front side and giving people something to do,” Morse said.The community center is scheduled to start pouring concrete on Monday morning. Permalink| Comments