New study lists New Orleans as America’s ‘deadliest’ city
14th June 2017 · 0 Comments
New Orleans may be known to people all over the world as the City That Care Forgot, but it also can’t seem to shake the title of the nation’s murder capital. That reputation for being the nation’s deadliest city has haunted the city for decades, PoliceOne.com found.
According to the study, which spans the seven-year period between 2009 and 2015, New Orleans’ homicide rate of 43 per 100,000 people was the highest of any county, independent city or district during that period.
That means the Crescent City significantly outpaces bigger cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, which led the nation last year with 762 homicides and had a per-capita rate of 11 murders per 100,000 people.
With regard to overall crime, New Orleans finished sixth in the nation, according to the study, which examined county health records, mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, FBI-compiled crime index data and other data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
New Orleans, which is in the midst of implementing a federally mandated consent decree aimed at overhauling its police department that began in August 2013, is currently grappling with a major spike in homicides and gun violence despite reporting more fatal drug overdoses than murders last year.
With Memorial Day marking the unofficial start of summer, the severely undermanned New Orleans Police Department already has its hands full after a recent bloody day that saw 13 people shot, three of whom died. The 13 people shot on Saturday, June 3, represent the highest number of gunshot victims in a single day in 2017. NOPD officials reported that as of Sunday morning, June 4, more than have been killed or wounded by gunfire, roughly two people a day over the first five months of the year.
The severity of the problem was not lost on NOPD Supt. Michael Harrison and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who held a joint press conference after the bloody 24-hour period during which 13 people were shot.
“We’re going to have to change who we a rem how we are and how we act,” Landrieu told reporters.
Harrison promised to provide an “increased presence” and the undermanned NOPD works to get a handle on violent crime and find those responsible for the uptick in violence.
“Our officers will not be deterred,” Harrison said. “We remain committed to getting these violent criminals off the streets and ending the violence and death.
“We will catch you, and you will pay for the horrible crimes you’ve committed,” Harrison added.
Harrison asked residents to do their part by doing whatever they can to help police to find those who are responsible for committed violent crimes across the city.
“We appeal to the community to step up, speak out,” Harrison said. “Our officers are working tirelessly to stop the violence and to hold people accountable who are committing this violence.”
According to preliminary information from the NOPD, the victims were wounded at the following locations:
• 3700 block of Tulane Avenue, five victims
• 2200 block of A.P. Tureaud Avenue, one victim
• 2100 block of South Liberty Street, one victim
• 6600 block of Foch Road, four victims
• 2900 block of Upperline Street, two victims
The 13 shootings on June 4 brought to 703 the number of people shot in New Orleans during the last 365 days WWL-TV crime analyst Jeff Asher posted on Twitter recently.
In comparison, Asher noted, that the June 4 numbers are the per capita equivalent of 90 people shot in a day in Chicago.
Nola.com reported last week that the City of New Orleans is considering the use of cutting-edge gunfire detection technology as part of the $40 million crime initiative it unveiled earlier this year.
It was reported that New Orleans is considering becoming part of a pilot program by ShotSpotter that can immediately pinpoint where a firearm was used and give police an edge in tracking violent criminals.
The program has had mixed results thus far in several other cities where it is being tested, making it necessary for local government officials and law enforcement agencies to determine whether it is worth the high costs associated with utilizing it.
While a decision on using ShotSpotter has not yet been made, a top member of the Landrieu administration indicated that it is a program currently being weighed by the mayor.
This article originally published in the June 12, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
