The number of crime incidents in New Orleans saw an overall increase last week, after a previous decline, according to data from SpotCrime, which collects reports from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents rose to 4,131 for the week of Aug. 26, up from 3,825 the week before.
The specific offenses that increased the most were theft and robbery. Theft rose to 489 incidents last week, from 426 the week before. Robbery went from 15 to 20. Reports of theft have continued to grow for the last two weeks.
Among other categories, there was also an increase in arson, from zero incidents per week to one, and in vandalism, from 87 to 92 incidents.
Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last week, shootings went from 62 to 47. Incidents of burglary fell from 168 to 157, and assault went down from 327 to 323.
There were 3,002 reports of "other" crimes, an increase of 262 from the previous week. SpotCrime's broad "other" category includes a variety of offenses like fraud, trespassing, public disturbance and traffic violations. Of those incidents, 85 involved arrests, such as for drug possession, down from 104 reported arrests the week before.
Considering the concentration of crime across the city, the French Quarter, Central Business District and Central City continued to have the most reported incidents last week.
The French Quarter experienced the highest growth in crime. Crime reports in Central Business District also rose, after declining the week before, and incidents in Seventh Ward are up considerably as well.
Regarding when most crimes are committed, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday saw the most reported crimes last week. The largest increase from the previous week occurred on Saturday, Thursday and Wednesday, while incidents on Monday went down. Comparing times of day, late afternoon, late morning and midday saw the most crime last week.
Want a longer-term view of crime in New Orleans? Here's our latest monthly crime report.
To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department.
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This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.
