FBI: New Orleans leads U.S. in homicides

NEW ORLEANS, June 3 (UPI) -- Police Superintendent Warren Riley says crime is dropping in New Orleans in spite of FBI figures showing the city has the highest U.S. homicide rate.

Riley acknowledged the Crescent City had almost 57 homicides per 100,000 people last year, even with a generous estimate of the population, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Wednesday. That is far higher than St. Louis, the runner-up with 47 homicides per 100,000.

Even if New Orleans had jumped back to its pre-Hurricane Katrina population it would be tied for second place with Baltimore.

"We went from 75 to 70 and now to 64 or 57 per 100,000, " Riley said. "We are making progress."

Riley said the city needs more money for police overtime and "a better-quality citizen."

Crime rates soared immediately after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, apparently because criminals never left or returned quickly. The FBI reported a 17 percent drop in reported violent crime in New Orleans from 2007 to 2008, but 179 homicides were reported.