Rape, burglary, auto theft down from last year, NOPD says, but other ...

There were fewer rapes, burglaries and car thefts in New Orleans from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 this year compared with the same time period last year, the New Orleans Police Department said in a statement Friday night. But reported incidents of other violent crimes are higher this year than last year, the report shows.

According to the department's 3rd Quarter Uniform Crime Report, the number of rapes in New Orleans fell by 16 percent. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2012, there were 108 rapes compared with 129 in 2011 in the same time period, according to the report.

Burglaries took a 10 percent hit while car thefts were reported as down to 1,724 from 1,799, a little over a 4 percent drop. The NOPD also said that it has increased the number of arrests by 11 percent, compared with the same period last year.

"Our uptick in arrests is in part attributed to the number of residents who believe our officers can help them, and call us to report crime. More than 80 percent of victims of crime in New Orleans call the NOPD to report it, compared to the national average, which hovers around 50 percent," said Superintendent Ronal Serpas.

However, not all crime is down in the city. The same report showed the murder rate up 2.76 percent for January through September compared with last year, with 149 murders in 2012 compared with 145 in 2011. As of Friday, however, the number was down slightly, from 168 in 2011 to 163 in 2012.

Simple robbery surged in the city, with 251 reported incidents from January through September in 2012 versus 179 in 2011, an alarming 40 percent increase. Assault, armed robbery and theft were also reportedly higher during this time period, according to the statement. Overall, violent crime was up 12.93 percent, according to the report.

"It's true that we're not where we would like to be on overall crime, and we know that we have a long way to go," Serpas said. "But we have confidence in proactive Nola for Life plan initiatives that we're now implementing. They've proven effective in other cities, and should yield positive results for New Orleans as well," he said. "It's also encouraging to see that we're moving in the right direction in terms of sexual assaults, home burglaries and car thefts."

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/11/rape_burglary_and_auto_theft_d.html

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