The New Orleans Police Department has reported a significant decrease in crime rates for the year 2024. Announced recently, the city's overall crime dropped by 26 percent compared to the previous year, with certain subsets seeing even steeper declines. The data, detailed in an New Orleans Police Department press release, indicates that crimes against persons fell by 20 percent. This includes notable reductions in homicides by 35 percent, non-fatal shootings by 44 percent, armed robberies by 38 percent, and carjackings plummeting by a striking 49 percent from 2023 figures.
With a reduction in property crimes by 27 percent in 2024, the New Orleans Police Department is also experiencing improvements in its operating efficiency. Calls for service have seen a sharp decrease, with 44,012 fewer instances and better response times even though the police force is smaller. It's the Power Watch program in the Seventh District, initiated as a pilot, is credited for strategically deploying officers and achieving these results.
Long-term comparisons also paint a promising picture of New Orleans' security landscape. Using a five-year average, the decrease in overall city crime was 23 percent in 2024. Crimes against persons saw a more dramatic drop of 29 percent while property crimes were down by 22 percent. Especially impressive is a 66-percent decrease in carjacking incidents and a 53-percent decrease in nonfatal shootings over the half-decade measure. These figures are casting a new light on the effectiveness of the New Orleans Police Department's crime-fighting strategies.
Furthermore, examining the progress from the city's previous crime low in 2019, last year's overall crime was 29 percent lower, as per the New Orleans Police Department announcement. Crimes against persons and property crimes followed suit, decreasing by 14 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
