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NOPD Announces Crime Stats for First Quarter, Murders Down 46 Percent

by Andy Cunningham

April 3, 2019

Categories: Announcement, Community, Transparency

Topics: Announcement, community policing

NOPD Announces Crime Stats for First Quarter, Murders Down 46 Percent

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) announced today (Wednesday, April 3) continued reductions in violent crime in New Orleans for the 1st quarter of 2019, including a 46-percent year-to-date drop in murders, a 17-percent decrease in non-fatal shootings, and an 8-percent decline in armed robberies.

“We remain committed to reducing crimes of violence within our city,” Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said. “While we know there’s still plenty of work to be done, I truly believe the men and women of the NOPD are making substantial progress in our ongoing efforts to make New Orleans safer.”

1st Quarter Violent Crime Numbers:

          (January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019)

  • Murders down 46 percent compared to 2018.
    • 2019 Q1: 27 murders, 2018 Q1: 50 murders
  • Non-fatal shootings down 17 percent compared to 2018.
    • 2019 Q1: 45 shootings, 2018 Q1: 54 shootings
  • Armed Robberies down 8 percent compared to 2018.
    • 2019 Q1: 108 incidents, 2018 Q1: 118 incidents
  • Simple Robberies down 26 percent compared to 2018.
    • 2019 Q1: 55 incidents, 2018 Q1: 74 incidents

In addition, the NOPD has continued its aggressive effort to remove illegal guns from the streets of New Orleans. So far in 2019, officers have seized 568 illegal guns compared to 488 during the same time period in 2018.

“Reducing overall gun-violence is a top priority for myself, our Mayor and this department,” said Ferguson. “We must remain aggressive in our approach to finding and removing these illegal firearms to further reduce these types of crimes in our community.”

Ferguson added the importance of building on the momentum set in 2018 when New Orleans recorded 146 murders, the lowest number since 1971.