Shreveport police crackdown on squatters with operation blue

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—Mayor Tom Arceneaux proposed, and the city council approved a new ordinance on squatting, which went into effect in April 2025. The mayor said, “I am pleased with the way that this is working, and I think it has in fact given police a new tool to help with people who are in houses where they don’t have a right to belong.”

Shreveport police have begun enforcing it with Operation Blue. They have arrested over a dozen squatters. Police say some of the crimes committed by squatters have included unauthorized entry, burglary, trespassing, property damage, theft, drug activity, and even armed threats.

Caddo Commissioner John-Paul Young says the city needs to aggressively go after the owners of blighted property. Blighted properties are handouts for squatters. He told us, “Owning a blighted property has been a crime in Shreveport for twenty-one years. It’s long past time the mayor kept his main campaign promises to restore our neighborhoods to safety and livability by enforcing this law against absent owners.”

Young says he is talking about ordinance 58-207 (Penalty for maintaining blight), which is a criminal misdemeanor punishable by a five-hundred-dollar fine or thirty days in jail per day until the issue is corrected.

In response, the mayor said, “I’m not going to debate Commissioner Young in the media. I think there are lots of tools that have, and we’re looking at all those tools to see what are the most effective tools for enforcement.”

If you suspect squatters on a property, you can contact Shreveport Police through the Port City 311 App or call them at 318-673-6950.