NEW ORLEANS — Sunday morning, Mayor LaToya Cantrell appeared on national television with a panel of mayors on CBS's Face the Nation. She was asked about New Orleans having the highest per capita murder rate of any major city.
"Why is because, one, dealing with Covid-19, violence, everyone has guns. The ability or the lack of the ability to resolve a conflict without reaching and pulling a gun," Cantrell said. "Also, as it relates to accountability. You know, low-lying offenses, you know, when they don't get bail or they're not restrained, then we're just seeing how these crimes escalate. People need to be held accountable across the board. And we're seeing results, I would say. We're moving in the right direction. But I tell you, we definitely need to hold people accountable."
Now, for the first time since the Metropolitan Crime Commission began issuing weekly bulletins, all categories of major violent crime are down. The report adds it's still too early to compare the year-to-date changes.
Compared to year-to-date 2022, homicides are down 5 percent, shootings down 9 percent, carjackings down 59 percent, and armed robberies down 29 percent. There have been 19 homicides so far in 2023, compared to 20 by this time in 2022.
The Metropolitan Crime Commission report said the biggest issue the city is seeing is the alarming rate of car thefts. This year, there have been at least 597 reported stolen in Orleans Parish. That's an average of 27 a day.
You can find the full Metropolitan Crime Commission weekly bulletin here: https://crimebulletin.metrocrime.org/orleans-crime-trends-as-of-january-22-2023/