While many police officers address crime after it happens, New Orleans Police Officers Pamela Jordan and Lazono Black are trying to keep it from happening.

Jordan and Black work out of the sixth District Police Station on Martin Luther King Boulevard. They are a part of the Magazine Enhancement Patrol Unit that patrols the Garden District, Central City and Magazine Street.

Officer Troy Daliet said officers who are assigned a walking beat, like Jordan and Black, are supposed to be visible in the community. Daliet said part of their job is to greet people in the community to let them know that they are around.

For both Jordan and Black, their day is spent in and out of a patrol car, responding to dispatcher calls and making their presence known in the area. Magazine Street has been both officers’ beat for less than a year; they have been partners for a month and a half.

On a recent Wednesday morning, Jordan and Black responded to a call from the dispatcher about a man cursing at a woman in a gray car outside the Wal-Mart parking lot on Tchoupitoulas Street.

The young woman told the officers that a man got out of his car and started cursing her out because, he said, she stole his parking space.

The young woman is from Mobile, Ala., and is moving to New Orleans. She appeared a little shaken up by the incident, so Jordan assured her that she would find the man in the Wal-Mart.

After looking at the security cameras monitor, it was obvious that the man had already left. However, to make sure that the young woman felt secure, Jordan persuaded the store manager, Steven Harris, to apologize to the woman for the man’s conduct. 

Both officers said they dislike driving by Wal-Mart. Almost every time they do, something  happens. Since the area is not in their beat, responding there takes them away from their patrol area.

After leaving Wal-Mart, the officers parked their cruiser and made their way into each store on Magazine Street, an area with many stores and restaurants.

Jordan greeted the cashier at a convenience store: “What you tell him, ma,” she asked, using her standard reference for most women. The cashier said a man tried to cash a counterfeit check Wednesday.

“He said he’s going to sue me,” she said. “I told him to get his lawyer.” Both officers laughed and made their way to the next store.

The officers visited each store to make sure each vendor was doing well and had no complaints. Black is more subtle, while Jordan greets all the vendors with a smile.

Jimmy Glickman, the manager of New Orleans Music Exchange, kissed and hugged Jordan tightly when she stopped by.

“NOPD is the best in the country and the least appreciated,” Glickman said. “They are underpaid and understated, and as people in the N.O., we love them.”

In the clothing boutique Frock Candy, Jordan looked at some clothes that she might come back to buy. She told the cashier to keep a peach-colored dress for her to pick-up after she was off work.

Frock Candy’s store manager, Cookie, said she appreciated the officers’ presence on Magazine Street.

“It’s good because they are very accessible,” said Cookie, who didn’t want to give her full name. “We always see them every day. If we need anything, they are right there. The good thing is that they don’t ride in the car; they actually walk.” 

In Magazine Pawn Shop, one of the employees told Jordan that her presence is definitely felt and that she has made a big difference.

Jordan thanked her, and jokingly adding, “How much do I have to pay you?”

The love for the officers in Central City is also evident.

A man yelled “Black!” and beeped his horn. An older lady in a white tank top and orange pants waved as the police cruiser passed her.

Black stopped and talked with Shelia Rodriguez, who lives in the neighborhood

Rodriguez asked Black about his former partner and told him she wants her daughter to go to college in New Orleans.

In the Uptown Meat Market, Black talked with the patrons as they came in and left.

Cashier Tony Hasan has been working at the store for three months and hasn’t had any problems.

Sharon Hardison, a resident of Central City, said that although police officers patrol the city, crime is still increasing. But Black and Jordan do their best to make the residents feel comfortable, she said.

“Honestly, everybody in the neighborhood loves them,” Hardison said.