Guard troops to stay in city through December

? National Guard troops and state police will patrol the city through December, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Saturday at a summit of law enforcement officials and crime experts called to address a spate of killings marring the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Police are on pace to recover as many illegal firearms this year as they did in the two previous years – even though half as many people live in the city now, said Robert Browning, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

But in a positive sign, court and prison repairs should be done next month, an official said, which means the city’s crippled criminal justice system will be able to process its influx of suspects more efficiently.