Louisiana's murder rate decreased by almost 8 percent in 2018, the new FBI crime data report indicates.
That's a much better showing than the national rate, which dropped about 7 percent, the report shows.
“Today’s FBI crime data shows decreases in violent crime and murder in Louisiana. We also saw decreases in property crime, including robbery. While there is still too much crime, we are moving toward a safer, less violent future. I commend the local, state and federal law enforcement officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. These statistics reflect the first full year of FBI data after the passage of criminal justice reform," said Gov. John Bel Edwards. "The decrease in violent crime reaffirms what Republicans, Democrats, faith leaders, business leaders and law enforcement officials said at the time of reform’s passage: we can make our state safer with commonsense reforms that focus on non-violent offenders and invest in crime prevention. That’s why our Louisiana reforms were mirrored by what President Trump and congressional leaders of both parties passed at the federal level last year.”
According to the report, Louisiana's murder rate was 11.4 per 100,000 people, down from 12.3 in 2017. THat's a decrease of 7.8 percent. The national rate decreased by 6.8 percent.
Property crimes in Louisiana also decreased, by 2.7 percent, between 2017 and 2018.
According to the report, the FBI received data from 196 of the 252 law enforcement agencies in Louisiana to use in the 2018 report.
To read the report and look at the data, click here.
