Culture of New Orleans - Crime

Crime

New Orleans has consistently experienced a high homicide rate during the previous two to three decades. Its average annual per-capita homicide rate (59 per 100,000) ranks highest of large cities in the country from 1990 to 2010 based on Bureau Of Justice Statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports. In 1994, 421 people were killed (85.8 per 100,000 people), a homicide rate which has not been matched by any major city to date. The homicide rate rose and fell year to year throughout the late 1990s, but the overall trend from 1994 to 1999 was a steady reduction in homicides.

Beginning in 2000, the homicide rate again increased. New Orleans had the highest homicide rate of any major American city in 2000 (42.1 per 100,000 people) 2001 (44.0 per 100,000) 2002 (53.1 per 100,000) 2003 (57.7 per 100,000) 2004 (56.0 per 100,000) In 2005, there were 202 murders after 8 months a rate of 43 per 100,000 which was still a higher rate than any major city's 12 month rate, but was not official because there was still 1 month left until the end of 3rd quarter crime data was to be released.In 2006,(70 per 100,000) 2007 (81 per 100,000) 2008 (64 per 100,000) 2009 (52 per 100,000) 2010 (51 per 100,000) and 2011 (58 per 100,000) it was more of the same as the previous years with New Orleans posting the highest per capta homicide rate of any major American city or the last 12 years in a row annually. In 2004,2006,2007,2008,2009, and 2011 New Orleans' per capita homicide rate lead cities with populations of 100,000 or more residents which made it the nation's murder capital of the above mentioned years with annual per capita homicide rates that were at least 10 times the U.S. average in each of those years according to Bureau of Justice Statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports, nola.com and Criminalogist Dr.Peter Scharf {

After Hurricane Katrina, media attention focused on the reduced violent crime rate following the exodus of many New Orleanians. That trend is beginning to reverse itself as more people return to the city, although calculating the homicide rate remains difficult given that no authoritative source can cite a total population figure.

As in other U.S. cities of comparable size, the incidence of homicide and other violent crimes is highly concentrated in certain city neighborhoods with a population of almost entirely African descent and with sites of open air drug trade. Most murder victims have criminal records. In 2003, most victims in New Orleans were killed within three months of their last arrest. The homicide rate for the New Orleans metropolitan statistical area, which includes the suburbs, was 24.4 per 100,000 in 2002.

However, New Orleans has its own based criminal organizations, namely the Sicilian American New Orleans crime family amongst others.