There was improvement for New Orleans in most major crime categories in 2023, but one category, auto theft, took a huge jump.
There is reason to expect that to get better in 2024. That's because it is already getting better, according to crime data analyst Jeff Asher.
"The most recent 90 days have seen significantly fewer car thefts," said Asher.
Asher says the data show that viral videos showing that some Hyundai and Kia models were easy to steal is what led to the increase in car theft not just in New Orleans, but in large cities across the country.
"You can see it in the graph and you can time it pretty well to when the video first hit TikTok. It's a rare crime trend where it's got a really obvious cause," he said.
Asher says those vulnerable cars have already been stolen, and it is to be expected that after such a huge increase, numbers will come down.
