NIPD Capt. Corey Porter goes over statistics on recent crime during the town hall meeting in New Iberia. 

New Iberia city and police department leaders were present Monday evening at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center at West End Park for a town hall meeting called by City Councilman Marlon Lewis. 

Lewis said the meeting wasn’t about a particular district, but rather an update on city affairs as a whole in terms of crime and voter registration. 

“This isn’t about District 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. This is about the city of New Iberia and our new police department,” Lewis said.

Speakers included New Iberia Mayor Freddie DeCourt and NIPD Chief Todd D’Albor, who both provided a three-month update on the department. 

DeCourt admitted there have been “a few bumps” since the start of the NIPD on July 1 but, the mayor said, the pros outweighed the cons in making a difference in the community. He also added the progress made so far couldn’t have been made without local residents like the 50 or so people who went to the meeting 

“If we didn’t have you all we wouldn’t have the trust we need or the communication,” DeCourt said. “We’re making a difference in the community. I’ve gone out with our police and heard the stories from people.

“We’re going after drugs and guns and making a difference in our community already, and it’s happening because of y’all.”

DeCourt said it’s also made an impact in terms of local business development such as the Rouse’s, Hobby Lobby and Captain D’s Seafood that are in the works across the city. There are future projects from other developers in the works that include a Chik-Fil-A and possibly a return of KFC Chicken, as well. 

D’Albor said there has been positive cooperation between the new police department and local residents in terms of handling crime and building a relationship. 

“We feel that there’s communication on both sides,” D’Albor said at the event. “If you lose your voice, we’ve lost our edge in helping you.

“I feel that we’re on the right path. There’s always bumps in the road. We work through them and continue to make our department one vision, which is keeping our community together.”

NIPD Capt. Corey Porter said in the three-month timespan there have been about 9,800 calls made to the NIPD, and also provided other statistics about crime the NIPD has handled so far. 

Iberia Parish President Larry Richard also spoke at the meeting about the upcoming election.  General information was presented about the election in November.