Today, real estate mogul and star of CNBC’s The Deed Sidney D. Torres IV posted a video about expanding French Quarter Task Force to an entire parish, which he will unveil in 30 days.
“I’m getting ready to launch it in one of the largest parishes in the state of Louisiana,” Torres said in the video he posted to Twitter. “It’s already being used in New Orleans, and it’s very, very cool.”
Torres launched the French Quarter Task Force in the French Quarter in March of 2015. Locals and tourist that use the app can report crime and tip police officer on-the-move. According to the Task Force, crime in the French Quarter dropped 45 percent since the launch of the Torres’s self-funded initiative.
In June of 2015, Torres turned over funding responsibilities of the Task Force to the City of New Orleans in a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement. Now the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the French Quarter Management District fund the Task Force entirely though the New Orleans hotel self-assessment tax.
Big announcement coming in 30 days!! #fqtf#frenchquartertaskforcehttps://t.co/n6jgk89jfB pic.twitter.com/Z3TOiG8ru3
— Sidney D.Torres (@SidneyDTorresIV) March 9, 2018
“What makes it so cool about launching it in this very large parish—(one of) the third largest in the State of Louisiana—is that it shows that it really works and that people can use it. It saves lives and it helps communities become safer,” Torres said. “It’s like the Uber of policing.”
Right now its unclear of where and how Torres will expand his Task Force. In considering population, Orleans Parish has the third-largest population in the state at just over 391,000 people. In total land, Cameron parish in Southwest Louisiana ranks as the third-largest parish at under 1,932 square miles.
- What to know about Sidney Torres IV and The Deed [Curbed NOLA]
- French Quarter Task Force [French Quarter Management District]