Correction: Aug. 18 New Orleans Story

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 12-2-2005 | Alan Sayre

[blam]

Correction: Aug. 18 New Orleans Story

Friday December 2, 2005 12:46 AM

By ALAN SAYRE

Associated Press Writer

In an Aug. 18 story about crime in New Orleans, The Associated Press, relying on information from a University of New Orleans criminologist, erroneously reported that university researchers conducted an experiment in 2004 in which police fired 700 blank rounds in a New Orleans neighborhood in a single afternoon and that no one called to report the gunfire.

Instead, about 900 rounds of live ammunition were fired by officers over a two-day period in December 2003 during a demonstration of a gunshot detection system for the New Orleans Police Department, said George Orrinson, of Planning Systems Inc., an engineering and technology company demonstrating the system. Orrinson said the company was told by police that one public call came in about the gunfire. The corrected version of this story appears below.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans residents are reluctant to come forward as witnesses, fearing retaliation. And experts say that is one of several reasons homicides are on the rise in the Big Easy at a time when other cities are seeing their murder rates plummet to levels not seen in decades.

[freedumb2003]

Standard for "Journalism" today.

If not for fear of Buckheads out there , they probably wouldn't have even corrected this one.

[JOE6PAK]

Standard for "Journalism" today.

[Shermy]

"Orrinson said the company was told by police that one public call came in about the gunfire."

Shame on the Guardian implying 100% of New Orleans citizens ignored the fire when it truly was only 99.99%

LOL!

[caryatid]

New Orleans residents are reluctant to come forward as witnesses, fearing retaliation.

It has been reported that, because of the difficulty of getting witnesses to testify, New Orleans has a Witness Protection program.

LOL

[mcshot]

Hey Joe,
There's a flashing "mistake" going on with your post.

mc :>)

[james500]

"Orrinson said the company was told by police that one public call came in about the gunfire."

So, George Orrinson, of Planning Systems Inc. tells us that the police cannot rely on the public to report gunshots. What CAN the police rely on? I'm guessing that George Orrinson, of Planning Systems Inc. would suggest one of the many fine systems marketed by Planning Systems Inc.

[KarinG1]

I'm wondering if nobody reported the gunfire or if the cops just didn't respond. I used to live in a neighborhood in West Dallas where you couldn't get a pizza delivered after dark and reporting 'shots fired' was the best way to ensure no cops were coming.