Self defense class!

Self defense class!, originally uploaded by Chelsa Skees.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is calling three separate robberies of elderly individuals in the parking lot of Clearview Mall on Jan. 8 "isolated" incidents but its statistics show similar crimes are on the rise -- and parish residents are on alert. Thefts in Jefferson Parish increased 7 percent last year to 15,724 from 14,677 in 2006, according to the JPSO. In the wake of several high-profile incidents, including shootings on the East and West Bank and the Clearview robberies, in which a man with a knife or box cutter mugged two elderly women and one elderly man during daylight hours, residents are taking steps to ensure their safety. Frank Caracci says he's seeing growing interest in self-defense training classes at his Metairie studio. "I've definitely seen an increase (in self-defense students) over the last four to six months," said Caracci. "There's been a real spike in interest. Membership is spread across the board -- from women and mothers to men and security and police professionals." Caracci's Louisiana Martial Arts Academy has experienced such an increase of members he's moving to a larger location, opening Feb. 25. In the past six months, Caracci's adult student enrollment has doubled from around 30 to 60. Eight police officers have joined his class since the Jan. 28 shooting of New Orleans Police Department Officer Nicola Cotton, who was shot and killed with her own weapon while trying to apprehend Bernel Johnson, who she believed to be a rape suspect. "America's increasingly a violent place," said Caracci. "People don't really pay attention to their surroundings or they perceive (an area) is safe because a parking lot is well lit or it's the middle of the day. Criminals are out 24 hours a day." Joseph Meissner, owner of Shaolin Do Kung Fu & Tai Chi on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans, has also seen an increase of self-defense student enrollments since the hurricane but did not provide enrollment figures. He said his student ratio is about 60 percent men to 40 percent women, who all say they are looking for fitness training as well as self-defense skills. The JPSO divides theft-related crimes into four categories: robbery, which includes purse-snatching or mugging with a weapon; burglary, a suspect breaking and entering a house or business; theft; and auto theft. Robberies increased 16 percent from 545 to 634. Thefts went up 12 percent, from 9,596 to 8,589, and auto thefts climbed 12 percent, from 1,661 to 1,862. Burglaries decreased 6 percent from 3,882 to 3,632 "A number of factors" could have contributed to an overall increase in these crimes, said Col. John Fortunato, JPSO spokesman. Most of these thefts are drug-related or "relational crimes" in which the victims and accused know each other, Fortunato said. He said an increase of the parish's population also could be one of the reasons. According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the number of Jefferson Parish households receiving mail increased from 183,156 in December 2006 to 184,377 in November, a .67 percent increase. After the Clearview Mall incident, in which a suspect has not been caught, the Sheriff's Office has increased patrols of the area, said Fortunato.

Source Citation
"Rise in crime leads to increase in self-defense classes in Jefferson Parish." Journal of Jefferson Parish 15 Feb. 2008. General OneFile. Web. 21 Mar. 2010.
Document URL
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A174862266&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=22054_acld&version=1.0

Gale Document Number:A174862266