Speaker Mike Johnson says Shreveport ‘Democratic DA’ is to blame for high crime

By Emilee Calametti
The Center Square

When asked about crime in Caddo Parish, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the “Democratic DA” is not prosecuting as he should.

Johnson appeared on CNN News Central on Friday and addressed the possibility of bringing the National Guard to Shreveport and Caddo Parish after FBI crime statistics showed that the violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 were higher in the city than in Washington, D.C.

“There’s a lot of good work that’s been done. There are a lot of reasons for that. But, we have a Democratic DA there who has not been prosecuting crime as some other more aggressive DAs have around the country,” Johnson said. Billionaire George “Soros funded that individual to be elected. But, I’ll say that, you know, it’s an urban area that has a lot of problems that are happening around the country, and we have to address it.”

President Donald Trump is currently addressing the ongoing crime in Washington, D.C., having called up the National, which he said he is considering doing in Chicago.

While Johnson said sending the National Guard to Shreveport is ultimately not his call, he thinks the administration should take one city at a time.

Citizen comments flooded the broadcast urging Johnson to send the National Guard to Louisiana to address the crime rates.

Crime data provided by the Shreveport Police Department reported that overall violent crime has continued to tick downward since 2021. The Center Square recently reported on year-to-date crime in the city that showed a 26% decline in shootings compared to last year, and some offenses were over 50% lower than the previous five years.

Shreveport has reported 25 criminal homicides year-to-date, with 27 homicides overall on record. Last year, the department had 40. In 2023, there was a significant spike to 61 homicides year-to-date.

“They don’t even report murders on the evening news in Chicago anymore because it’s so common. Democratic-run cities typically have that problem because they have not been tough on crime,” said Johnson.

A new comprehensive crime bill involving Johnson prompted the conversation. The proposed bill would address the crime in places including Washington, D.C., and then move on to other areas.

Components of the bill, according to Johnson, will address the rising juvenile crime wave happening in the capital and end policing policies that he said prevents law enforcement from doing their work to the fullest.

“Sometimes local governance does not do the job, and the oversight in D.C. is long overdue,” said Johnson.