Caddo Parish, Louisiana

History

In 1838, Caddo Parish was carved from Natchitoches Parish; the legislature named it for the indigenous Caddo Indians.

Law and government

As county seat, Shreveport is the site of the parish courthouse. Caddo Parish comprises the 1st Judicial District. Located downtown on Texas Street, the courthouse contains both civil and criminal courts. The current elected judges are: Ramon Lafitte, Craig O. Marcotte, Michael A. Pitman, Karelia R. Stewart, Robert P. Waddell, Erin Leigh W. Garrett, Katherine C. Dorroh, John Mosely, Jr., Brady O'Callaghan, Ramona Emanuel, and Charles G. Tutt and Roy Brun. The Clerk of Court is Mike Spence.

In April 2015, The New Yorker published an article about the prosecution of Rodricus Crawford, including a claim that Caddo Parish sentenced a disproportionately large number of persons to death.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 937 square miles (2,430 km²), of which 978 square miles (2,530 km²) is land and 58 square miles (150 km²) (6.2%) is water.

Major highways

National protected area

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 254,969 people, 119,502 households, and 68,900 families residing in the parish. According to 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Caddo Parish population was 257,093. The population density was 286 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 108,296 housing units at an average density of 123 per square mile (47/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 49.1% White, 40.0% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 5.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 119,502 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.20% were married couples living together, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the parish the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.90 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $31,467, and the median income for a family was $38,872. Males had a median income of $31,664 versus $22,074 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $17,839. About 17.10% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.80% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Although Republican John McCain carried the state of Louisiana overall, he did not carry Caddo Parish in the 2008 presidential election. Democrat Barack Obama won 51% of the vote and 55,536 votes. John McCain trailed with 48% and 52,228 votes. Other candidates received about 1% of the vote. In the U.S. Senate election, Democrat Mary Landrieu, who survived a hard challenge from Republican John Neely Kennedy, received 58% of the vote in Caddo Parish and 60,558 votes. John Kennedy won 40% of the vote and 41,348 votes. Other candidates received 2% of the vote. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush won Caddo Parish. He received 51% of the vote and 54,292 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry received 48% of the vote and 51,739 votes. Since 1980, Caddo Parish has voted for the overall national popular vote winner in presidential campaigns. Notably the city of Shreveport is the driving force behind Democratic strength, while surrounding areas provide heavy Republican support.

Education

The Caddo Parish School Board operates public schools.

Correction center

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operated the Forcht-Wade Correctional Center in Keithville, an unincorporated section of Caddo Parish. It closed in July 2012.

The Caddo Correctional Center is a full-service jail rated at a capacity of 1500 beds. Constructed in 1994, this facility was designed to successfully manage a large number of inmates with a minimum of personnel, the Caddo Correctional Center is the largest jail in the Ark-La-Tex and the only "direct supervision" facility in the State of Louisiana.

National Guard

The 2nd Squadron of the 108th Cavalry Regiment (formerly 1-156 Armor Battalion until September 2006) is headquartered in Shreveport at the intersection of Stoner Avenue and Youree Drive. Since the Civil War, this armory has been known by locals as "Fort Humbug"; Shreveport served as the state capital after Union forces had seized Baton Rouge. This site was designated as "Fort Turnball" by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1920 and served as a mobilization site during World War II. This unit has served two tours of duty in Iraq (2004-05 & 2010) as part of the 256th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard.

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