According to data from the Metropolitan Crime Commission, an organization that monitors crime and also tries to bring it down, there have been 52 homicides per 100,000 residents since September 11. In St. Louis, there have been nearly 45 homicides per 100,000 residents through Sept. 17, according to data from the St. Louis Police Department. By comparison, there have been nearly 18 homicides in Chicago per 100,000 residents and 3.5 in New York. Homicides in New Orleans are up 141 percent from 2019 and up 78 percent from 2021, according to the data, which says there were 205 homicides in the city from early 2022 through Sept. 11. New Orleans also has a 100% increase in shootings in 2022 compared to 2019. On September 8, officials in New Orleans announced an $80 million plan to raise police pay, offer free health care and $30,000 in increased recruitment incentives for new hires to the department. The city recently hired a consultant, former NYPD patrol chief Fausto Pichardo, to look at ways the police department can better fight crime, FOX 8 reported. Pichardo said in his report released Tuesday that the police department must take “action now” if the city is to be saved. “Action must be taken NOW if there is ever a chance to save the city and bring about a reputation as a city where tourists can come to party and celebrate and not become victims,” Picardo wrote. Among the recommendations is the immediate reassignment of 212 police officers to patrol duties instead of their current assignments.
