Trust issues raised after Shreveport police officers arrested for theft from local business

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The arrest of three Shreveport police officers for allegedly stealing merchandise from a local business owner is raising concerns among residents, who say trusting officers is a critical component of positive relations between police and the communities they serve.

Community advocate Craig Lee said, “It goes to the heart of the credibility of not only SPD but all law enforcement agencies, and that’s why you have to have a standard of ethics and integrity and honor that’s established bar none when you start talking about law enforcement or really any of your first responders.”

The officers, Kourtney Jackson, Shanora Gipson Ross, and Tarogie Jones, face charges of theft and malfeasance in office after allegedly stealing merchandise from the SUV of Katherine Kennedy and Herman Leamette, owners of 318 Plug. The merchandise was intended to restock the store 318 Plug before the SUV was repossessed.

Kennedy and Leamette say they had to speak up about the misconduct, but also feel empathy for the officers.

“It made us kind of feel bad because, it hurt my soul, she was a young black lady, she trying to make it but I look at it how many other people she might be done did like this, she was too comfortable, ain’t nobody else spoke up. I had to speak up,” said Kennedy.

One of the officers involved visited the store and returned some of the stolen items.

Katherine Kennedy and Herman Leamette know that the officer’s future is not in their hands, but said they would gladly accept reimbursement if it meant she could remain on the police force.

“I really hate it had to happen to her, me too, I mean it, my heart really goes out to her. I wish we could get reimbursed for what we went through and just let her keep her job and learn from this.”

The Shreveport Police Department issued a statement emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards, saying, “While it is painful to address misconduct within our own ranks, we must hold ourselves to the highest standards in order to serve the community with honor and integrity.”

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTAL. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTAL staff before being published.