Violent crime rates are trending down nationwide, and New Orleans is leading that trend with a 43% decrease as of earlier this month according to NOPD data.
Michael Glasser, President of the Police Association of New Orleans, says the department has been focused on deploying winning strategies.
“We try to solve crime as quickly as possible so we prevent the next one and get justice for the one that occurred.”
Glasser says the bump in solve rate takes violent criminals off the streets so they don’t commit crime again.
He says the solve rate combined with the overall downward turn is the perfect mix.
“It’s somewhat synergistic because as the downtrend happens, we have more time to solve crime and then by solving crime, we continue the trend.”
The New Orleans Police Department can boast about some major wins. Recruitment is up, the new Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick seems well received, and some new digs.
New Orleans, at one point, was once known as the capitol for violent crime, it now leads the nation in many categories.
Glasser says, “There is a national trend. In many cities, they are significantly lower and we are almost double that.”
