America has a murder-solving problem, and New Orleans is no exception.
Since 1965, the national average for solving homicides is 66 percent. But in 2021, the most recent year that the Murder Accountability Project has complete data for, it's right at 50.5 percent. New Orleans has averaged a homicide clearance rate of 47 percent over the same period, and in 2021, the clearance rate was not quite 42 percent.
New Orleans Metro Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche told WWL's Newell Normand each unsolved killing runs the risk of creating more violence.
"Every unsolved homicide is, I think, setting the table for retaliatory street justice," said Goyeneche. "That makes it even harder for the police to get their arms around the homicide rate and some of the shootings."
Goyeneche said it feeds more violence as people dissatisfied with the justice system seek revenge.
While New Orleans clearance rate is lower than the national average, it has actually been on the rise in recent years, going from 35.5 percent in 2019 t0 41.9 percent in 2021.
The last time NOPD cleared more than 50 percent of homicides, according to the Murder Accountability Project's data was 2010 -- 50.3 percent.
