A rise in assault led to an overall increase in St. Tammany Parish violent crime in 2023, the sheriff's office announced today.
"Overall violent crime is up slightly in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish, with 1,149 violent crimes reported in 2023 compared to 984 reported in 2022," STPSO announced. "The highest jump was in simple assault, which increased from 689 reported in 2022 to 870 reported in 2023."
St. Tammany reported nine homicides in 2023. That's up one from 2022. The sheriff's office says eight of the nine homicide cases have been cleared.
St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith noted that despite the increase, crime in St. Tammany Parish is much lower than the national average.
"I am extremely pleased with the hard work and dedication of all of our employees who have contributed to another year of successful crime fighting," said Sheriff Smith. "This is a testament to the agency as a whole’s determination to keep St. Tammany Parish safe and hold criminals accountable for their actions."
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