Bernard Terrace Civic Association charges $30 a quarter for residents, $60 for businesses and $15 for renters.
95% of this money goes to off-duty city police patrols of our neighbourhood, and 5% office fees. We are very
pleased with the results of this campaign and find it well worth the investment:
Increase safety in our homes and property.
Increase foot traffic in the evenings and at night.
Increase our property value.
What is the BTCA and Why Should I Care?
The Bernard Terrace Civic Association (BTCA) is an all-volunteer organization of your friends and neighbors.
Our goal is working to protect your life, property, and the quality of life in our neighborhood. We do a number
of things to ensure this end; let’s break it down to the basics:
We’ve Got Your Back
The most important thing we do is seek to ensure your safety. Almost all of the funds we collect go
directly to pay for our neighborhood patrol, with a very, very small amount going to mailings & yard
signs. We hire off-duty Baton Rouge Police Officers to work overtime hours patrolling our area. If you
see a Police Officer driving down your street, looking to prevent crime instead of responding to a call –
odds are he’s hired by the BTCA. This currently costs us $25/hour, and the use of the Police Officer’s
squad cars is a bonus courtesy of the City. Police Officers volunteer for this duty, and sign in and out
of a logbook to verify their work on our behalf. They patrol our area usually at the end of their regular
shift both in the middle of the day, and in the middle of the night. Unlike a private security guard who
has to call a cop, off-duty Police Officers in their squad cars are a real and recognizable threat to
panhandlers, street drug-dealers, would-be thieves, or worse. These are professional law enforcement
officers who have the power to arrest suspects. The Officers are armed and criminals know them when they
see them. Last month we had 40 hours of patrol, but we need more. We live in a generally nice neighborhood,
but it is an urban area, and this could change for the worse, or for the better. We’re betting on “for
the better” and we hope you are too. Bernard Terrace is not an exclusive gated community; we are a real
neighborhood in a big city. We want it to be a really safe neighborhood, don’t you?
We Are Your Voice, and Your Ears
As the member-elected civic association for citizens in Bernard Terrace, we speak for our area to the
City-Parish, elected officials, would be developers, local businesses, and other neighborhood civic
associations. As the voice of many, we speak and are heard at Planning-Zoning Meetings, State Departments,
City-Parish Departments, or wherever you need a voice. We also listen to our members and share what we’ve
heard throughout our membership by e-mail, newsletters, and via our website (http://BernardTerrace.org). In
addition, we host forums for candidates for elected office, developers, or send representatives to listen to
whomever you may need to hear from. The volunteers who serve as Officers, Board Members, and Your Block
Captain listed in this Website are ready to listen to your concern & we’ll help you if we can, or refer
you to someone who may be able to. We get together at social meetings at 6pm on every last Tuesday of the
month at LaCarreta on Government Street, come network with us.
How Does It Work?
It’s really easy to become a member or renew your membership print, fill-out and mailing the PDF right below.
Your membership dues are voluntary but very necessary – see point number one. You can pay by
the month, quarter, or by the year, and our membership dues can be tax-deductable if you itemize. What do
you get, besides point one & two? A yard sign that shows you care and you are doing your share - display it
proudly. If you have joined and haven’t received a sign, or if your sign is worn out, contact your Block
Captain for a replacement. We are proud of you for helping all of your neighbors, and we want you to be able
to show your pride. Whenever your dues are due again, you will get a letter containing a stamped return
envelope only (printing invoices costs money better spent for patrol time), stuff another check into this
envelope, stamp it, mail it, and repeat as necessary. That’s all there is to it!
