The Boot has babysitters now, the Tulane Police Department.
On the corner of Broadway and Zimpel, Tulane University Police opened their fifth substation on Aug. 9, 2023 – four years after The Maroon had reported on their plans to do so. A temporary outpost had been put in its place originally.
There were many delays facing the project, however. The primary delay was brought on by the spread of COVID-19, bringing the project to a halt. Now the wait is over, and the community watches in anticipation with how the new station will impact the area.
It is now the fifth TUPD station around Tulanes’ campuses. Tulane University representatives said the station will help to reinforce their partnership with the NOPD to surveillance the campus and neighboring areas.
Report after report has come from The Boot over the years. The establishment has a known history of harassment, sexual assault, fights, muggings, shootings, stabbings, and public indency.
Loyola Sophomore Jordynn Whitlow, sees the station as a positive change for the community.
“As someone with friends who have been sexually assaulted and harassed at The Boot, I feel having a police station across from the establishment would lower those risks,” Whitlow said
Others, like sophomore Bella Stutz-Lazzara, have a more neutral outlook on the station.
“I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing or a good thing,” Stutz-Lazzara said. “Overall I believe that they just want to make sure that the folks who go there are safe and protected.”
