New Orleans data analyst says murders were down in 2023

ACTIVE INVESTIGATION. HOMICIDES ARE DOWN IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS COMPARED TO RECENT YEARS, 193 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN NEW ORLEANS IN 2023. WELL, THAT’S STILL TOO MANY. IT IS A NOTICEABLE DROP FROM THE 266 PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED IN 2022. WDSU ANCHOR TRAVERS MACKEL TELLS US WHY CRIME DATA EXPERTS ARE HESITANT TO TO CREDIT LOCAL INITIATIVES FOR THIS REDUCTION IN DEADLY VIOLENCE. LAST THURSDAY IN THE UPPER NINTH WARD ON JOHNNIE JACKSON JUNIOR BOULEVARD, A MAN WAS SHOT AND KILLED. POLICE INVESTIGATED THE SCENE FOR HOURS LOOKING FOR CRITICAL CLUES. IT WAS THE LAST HOMICIDE OF 2023. IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. THE 193RD OF THE YEAR. IT’S THE FIRST TIME THE CITY HAS BEEN UNDER 200 MURDERS IN FOUR YEARS. IT’S GOOD NEWS COUCHED WITHIN BAD NEWS OF OF 193 MURDERS FROM 2020 THROUGH 2022, THE MURDER RATE IN NEW ORLEANS WAS ONE OF THE NATION’S HIGHEST IN 2022, 266 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE CITY. JEFF ASHER IS THE CRIME DATA EXPERT WHO CRUNCHES NUMBERS ON CRIME FOR THE CITY COUNCIL. BECAUSE WE HAD 2020 TO 2022 WHEN WE HAD 200 PLUS MURDERS EACH YEAR, 193 MURDERS IS IMPROVEMENT. THE BIG REASON THE NUMBER WAS DOWN THIS YEAR? ONLY FIVE MURDERS IN DECEMBER, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LOWEST COUNTS FOR ANY MONTH SINCE, UM, SINCE KATRINA. REALLY? SO HELP ME GOD. AMEN. THE REDUCTION IN CRIME COMES AS ANNE KIRKPATRICK WAS HIRED BY THE MAYOR AND APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL TO TAKE OVER AS THE CITY’S FIRST FEMALE NOPD SUPERINTENDENT. BUT THE NUMBER OF COPS ON THE STREETS ARE AT A RECORD LOW. JUST OVER 900 OFFICERS IN THE CITY THAT SHOULD IDEALLY HAVE 1500. WHY ARE THE NUMBERS GOING DOWN? THAT’S THAT’S KIND OF THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION. UM, IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT’S EASILY EXPLAINED FROM LOCAL FACTORS. ASHER SAYS THE LOW MURDER COUNT FOLLOWS A NATIONAL TREND, AS HOMICIDES ARE DOWN IN MOST MAJOR URBAN CITIES, HE SAYS. WHILE NOPD RESPONSE TIMES HAVE IMPROVED LAST YEAR, IT’S HARD TO FIND ANY OTHER LOCAL METRIC THAT LED TO THE REDUCTION TRAVERS MACKEL WDSU NEWS. SO THE LAST TIME THE CITY HAD FEWER THAN 200 HOMICIDES, 2019 THAT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. THAT YEAR, N