By Victoria Cristina | WGNO | January 21, 2021
NEW ORLEANS — On January 21, the Metropolitan Crime Commission released a report examining crime trends over the last five years in Orleans Parish.
The report shows trends for major felony offenses, broken down by the eight Districts of the New Orleans Police Department.
New Orleans has experienced surges in murders, shootings, carjackings, and car burglaries during the pandemic. Most strikingly, analyses find that approximately half of all major violent crime occurs in the 7th District (New Orleans East) and the 5th District (9th Ward, Bywater, and Marigny.)
The 3rd District has recently experienced substantial increases in both carjackings and vehicle burglaries, while the 8th District consistently had the lowest crime rates for most major offenses over the past five years.
While major crimes surged in 2020, the NOPD experienced a 20% decrease in spending compared to 2019. The cut in police spending was the direct result of eliminating police overtime beginning in the summer and a 10% furlough of police along with every other type of city employee in October.