New Orleans, located in the southern part of the United States, is known for its unique cultural traditions, music and food. Known as the "Big Easy", it is one of the most popular tourist cities in the United States. But now it has an unpopular title: "Murder Capital." Surging crime rates and a "collapse" of law enforcement have made New Orleans with the highest homicide rate in the United States, well ahead of violent cities like St. Louis, Chicago and New York.
New Orleans has become the city with the highest murder rate in the United States
According to data from the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission, 205 homicides have occurred in the city between the beginning of 2022 and September 11, a 141% increase from pre-pandemic levels. In the same period last year, it increased by 46%. Carjackings in New Orleans are said to have more than tripled from pre-pandemic levels, and shootings have more than doubled.
As of last week, New Orleans had 52 homicides per 100,000 residents, surpassing St. Louis, the nation's previous highest crime rate, which had a rate of less than 45 homicides per 100,000 this year. By contrast, New Orleans has a homicide rate of almost 15 times that of New York City, which has only 3.5 homicides per 100,000 residents. And compared to Chicago, a city where gun violence is rampant, New Orleans has almost three times the homicide rate.
reported that the lack of police officers is one of the potential factors behind the city's rising crime rate. New Orleans police are said to be resigning much faster than new recruits, and the number of police officers has been reduced by about a third. The resignation of a local police officer caused quite a stir in July last year because he feared a shortage of officers would make the job too unsafe. With the city's police department understaffed, the average response time for emergency calls is 2.5 hours, according to a recent survey. A 40-year-old cashier at a local Vietnam grocery store told the media recently that an angry homeless man attacked her, but after she called the police, a police officer came to deal with it the next day.
In addition, the city's top prosecutor, Jason Williams, took office last year with campaign finance support from billionaire US political activist George Soros. About two-thirds of the felony indictments under Williams' supervision have reportedly been dismissed, and he declined to prosecute nearly half of the suspects arrested for violent felonies. And New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has called for the city to be tough on crime, but at the same time pushing for "anti-incarceration" policies. Since Cantrell took office in 2018, the city's prison population has shrunk by about 40 percent. Critics also argue that the mayor's support for the police isn't enough either.
Fausto Pichardo, former patrol division chief for NYPD , was recently hired by the city of New Orleans as a consultant to combat rising crime rates. Pichardo called on the city to deploy 212 of its existing officers on patrols to enhance security, while a police spokesman said a maximum of 20 to 40 could be drawn. "If there is still a chance to save the city and make it a place where tourists gather and celebrate without harm, then action must be taken now," Pichardo said.
