NEW ORLEANS — At the NOPD's Eighth District meeting this week, Capt. Lejon Roberts issued a warning to visitors and residents of the French Quarter – they're noticing an uptick in property thefts.
Police said suspects are stealing cellphones and sending themselves money. They've also received reports of pickpocketing wallets.
The Eighth District includes the French Quarter. Glade Bilby, president of French Quarter Citizens, attended the Eighth District meeting.
“We’re always concerned about the safety of the visitors and the residents together, and I think what really stuck out was the amount of pickpocketing theft that was evident from the numbers," Bilby said.
Theft is up nearly 70 percent in the Eighth District year-to-date, and almost 44 percent of those incidents occurred on Bourbon Street, the NOPD said.
“That’s a lot. That’s a really, really big jump," Roberts said at the meeting.
Bilby said police told residents the numbers reflect a post-carnival increase where visitors reported thefts online after the fact.
“So, the numbers, of course, went up," Bilby said.
Police said at the meeting that they've identified four woman suspects and issued warrants for their arrest.
Some of the women are from out-of-state that are 'preying on victims' in and around Bourbon Street and sometimes luring them back to hotels, according to police.
“If you’re looking for the wrong thing, you’re going to, 9 times out of 10 you’re going to find it," Roberts said, “It’s mostly sexual deals gone bad.”
Bilby said he's thankful that police are paying attention to the stats and doing what they can to stop it.
“Pickpocketing is a little harder to find when it happens," Bilby said.
The Eighth District reports that auto theft has decreased 15 percent over the past year, and auto burglary has decreased 46 percent.
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