New Orleans/ Crime & Emergencies
Published on October 04, 2019
New Orleans crime levels decreased in SeptemberPhoto: iStock

The number of reported crimes in New Orleans saw an overall decrease last month, after a previous rise, according to data from SpotCrime, which collects reports from police agencies and validated sources.

The number of reported crimes fell by 2.6%, from 17,629 incidents in August to 17,173 in September. Despite last month's decrease, crime levels tend to follow seasonal patterns, making a year-over-year comparison most relevant.

The number of reported burglary and vandalism incidents declined the most from the previous month. The number of burglary reports fell from 925 reported incidents in August to 823 in September, but it has risen by 219 incidents since September of last year. The number of reported vandalism incidents fell from 406 to 365 for the month, or about a 10% decrease. However, the number of vandalism reports has increased since a year ago, so there is still some ground to recover.

There was also a considerable percentage decrease last month in the number of reported shootings, down from 259 incidents per month to 227, and in the number of robbery reports, down from 105 to 93. Both shootings and robbery have increased since the same month last year.

Among the few types of offenses that saw an uptick last month, theft reports went from 1,935 to 1,958, which represents overall upward trend since the same time last year.

Looking at crime patterns in different areas of the city, the largest decline last month occurred in the French Quarter, Read Boulevard East and Viavant-Venetian Isles. Village De L'Est, the Garden District and Holy Cross also saw considerable percentage decreases in the number of reported incidents for the month, although they continue to have lower overall crime levels. Over the past year, crime has gone up the most in Mid-City, and declined the most in Lakewood.

Mondays, Sundays and Wednesdays saw the most reported crimes last month. The largest decreases from the previous month occurred on Saturdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while the number of reported incidents on Mondays, Sundays and Wednesdays went up. Comparing times of day, late morning, early afternoon and midday saw the most crime reports last month on average each day.

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.

Head to SpotCrime to get free local crime alerts in your area.


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.