A crime wave has swept over the troubled city of New Orleans, and officials are responding with a plan that includes random checks for alcohol and other drugs, surveillance cameras, and increased police patrols, the Los Angeles Times reported Jan. 10.

In the first weeks of 2007 alone, nine people were murdered in New Orleans. Rolling out his crime-fighting initiative, Mayor C. Ray Nagin stated: "We are drawing a line in the sand and saying we've had it."

The random alcohol and other drug checks will be conducted by police between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., when most crimes in the city take place. Up to 200 security cameras will be installed this year in high-crime areas. The increased police foot patrols will start right away.