Law enforcement officials boast of a drop in crime in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The New Orleans Police Department is reporting a dramatic drop in crime across the board so far in 2024.

“Violent crime in our city is down 24 percent compared to last year,” Chief Deputy Supt. Hans Ganthier said. “We don’t just see this downward trend in violent crime. We’re also seeing it in property crimes, which are down 27 percent this year.”

Ganthier spoke at the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation luncheon on Tuesday (Oct. 15), where advocates, city leaders and law enforcement officials celebrated Men and Women in Blue and the NOPD’s recent successes.

Ganthier said he attributes the drop in crime in part to more proactive policing and tackling repeat offenders.

“Starting with our data analysis, we look at where our officers can get the most bang for their buck. We are devoting resources to that,” he said.

Col. Robert Hodges of the Louisiana State Police also attributes the crime-fighting successes to this year’s addition of Troop NOLA, the first LSP troop based in New Orleans.

The NOLA force was deployed in February to assist the NOPD with patrols, arrests, crowd management and investigations.

“I feel like we’re coming back and public safety is increasing,” Hodges said. “We conducted 702 traffic stops, made 188 arrests and resulted in 291 criminal charges.”

Hodges said NOLA troopers have also used the Real Time Crime Center, crime cameras and drones to help apprehend criminals in recent months.

“When the public realizes that we are using these tools in the right way and not just to spy on them – for lack of a better word – we are using them for public safety purposes,” he said.

Hodges said the NOLA force will remain, as will partnerships with regional and federal law enforcement agencies.

“The community wants police in their neighborhood and they feel confident talking to us because they have the trust,” he said.

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