WWL-Radio
We’ve heard crime has dropped in New Orleans from 2022 to 2023. The decreases continue into 2024. New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche gets into some of the reasons why.
As the NOPD lost officers, the department went from proactive policing to reactive answering of 911 calls. Goyeneche says that meant fewer drug arrests.
“Between 2019 and 2022, felony drug arrests went down 82 percent,” said Goyeneche. “You can’t put all of your eggs into just responding to calls for service. When you do that, it means that a crime has already been committed.”
Goyeneche told WWL’s Newell Normand when the NOPD got back to doing proactive stops, and making more arrests, they started picking up more drug and illegal weapons suspects… helping lead to an overall decrease in crime.
“Proactive policing allows the police to self-initiate,” he said.
Goyeneche says reactive policing means waiting until a crime has already been committed, as opposed to proactive policing which gets criminals off the street before they do something worse.
The Metro Crime Commission says the decreases this year are dramatic.
As of March 10, 2024:
HOMICIDE
-Homicide in 2024 is -43% lower than 2023 and -26% lower than 2022, and -9% lower than 2021.
-To date, homicide in 2024 is +3% higher than 2020 and +24% higher than 2019.-
-Homicide Victims this year: 31
SHOOTINGS
-Nonfatal shooting in 2024 is -33% lower than 2023, -44% lower than 2022 and -13% lower than 2022.
-To date in 2024, the only increase in nonfatal shooting is noted in comparison with 2019 (+61%).
-Nonfatal Shooting Incidents this year: 53
CARJACKING
-No carjacking incidents were reported last week, continuing the substantial decline in carjacking compared with 2020-2023.
-In 2024 carjacking is -46% lower than 2023, -74% lower than 2022. and -13% lower than 2020.
-Carjacking remains moderately higher than 2019 (+31%).
-Carjacking Incidents this year: 21
ARMED ROBBERY
-Armed robbery continues to show double-digit rates of decline compared with the past five years:
-Since 2019 -31%
-Since 2020 -47%
-Since 2021 -49%
-Since 2022 -59%
-Since 2023 –52%
-Armed Robbery Incidents this year: 45