The rate at which violent crime in New Orleans is being reduced has slowed, but don't let that headline fool you. The head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission says that's a sign of good things happening thanks to local law enforcement.
According to Metropolitan Crime Commission president Rafael Goyaneche, the New Orleans Police Department and Louisiana State Police have driven violent crime in the city to their lowest levels in years. He says data show that every category of violent crime is down 40 percent or more.
"We've gone one or two or possibly three weeks with one or two violent crimes," Goyaneche said. "We are on pace to have a much lower homicide rate this year than we had last year. That's progress."
According to Goyaneche, the NOPD and Troop NOLA are working together to find crime hotspots across town, stopping crime before it can happen.
"They're not waiting for someone to dial 911. They're engaging in proactive policing," Goyeneche said. "When they see a traffic violation, when they narcotics distributions and sales, they're getting out of their cars. They're effectuating arrests. Those arrests usually yield individuals who are wanted for felonies."
That proactive approach, Goyaneche says, is leading to gun seizures.
"Every one of those arrests (and) every gun that's taken off the street means that gun is out of commerce, and that's being reflected in the lower crime rate," Goyaneche said. "That's the reason why violent crime is at the lowest rates we've seen since 2020."
Goyaneche says these reductions are happening despite the NOPD and State Police Troop NOLA being understaffed.
"I think we'll see further reductions because it's been proven that the police department and the state police know what needs to be done," Goyaneche said. "The only thing limiting them being even more effective is having the numbers to address not just one or two hotspots at time but multiple crime hotspots all over the city."
