Don't be fooled by figures

Murder rate down. So what?: A story by the Times-Picayune--written hours before the end of the year--proclaimed the drop in New Orleans' murder rate in 2008. Don't quite know how they knew there would be no more murders before the year ended, but to his credit, Big Chief Warren Riley didn't crow about it, only said "progress has been made."

But what about the rest of the crime that plagued the city during the year? The homicide rate has a lot to do with blacks blowing away other blacks in other parts of the city--but little to do with the French Quarter. The 8th District, which encompasses the Quarter and its adjoining neighborhoods of the Marigny Triangle and CBD, had no murders in 2008. Does that mean crime decreased here? No.

Robberies in the 8th District were up again significantly in 2008. I will always remember a former 8th District commander warning "every armed robbery is just the squeeze of the trigger away from a homicide." And, in case you failed to note, the so-called "simple robberies" -- robberies without weapons, such as pursesnatchings -- tend to be more violent than armed robberies.

In either case, that trauma has confronted residents of the 8th District, and tourists, 179 times so far in 2008 (records only go to 11.30.08)--16 more than the year before.

Other crimes have shown only minor reductions from the previous year. Up to 11.30.08, assaults were 74 compared to 77 in 2007; thefts were 1,166 versus 1,172; burglaries were 130 compared to 135; and auto thefts were 483 versus 505. All statistically insignificant with the year having a full month yet to go, recordwise.

Using the homicide rate to indicate the crime rate is misleading. They say it's done because it's hard to classify a murder as anything but. But consider this: one shooting toward the end of the year killed a 20-year-old-woman and her 19-week-old fetus; her death was counted as a homicide, the feticide was not.

The NOPD continues to find ways to bury crimes in its statistics. In the 8th District alone, we've had cases where:

• Armed men invaded a house in the Marigny Triangle and held up the workers there; that was an "aggravated burglary" rather than an armed robbery because it happened inside.
• A gunman pumped 7 or 8 shots into a guy on a French Quarter street corner in front of witnesses and that was classified (at least initially) as "aggravated battery" rather than attempted murder.
• Crimes are charged under the municipal code rather than as state offenses. When we reported that masked including them in the statistics sent to the FBI, a know-it-all attorney chastised us, saying that wasn't true. But the particular incident we were talking about -- the savage beating of a man in November on St. Philip Street -- was never logged on the NOPD's crime map. 8th District cops charged the 6 black punks involved with "simple battery" under the municipal code. (Those 6 bad boys got off with "community service".)

You see what I mean. We have no real way of knowing how bad crime is in the Quarter -- or isn't. Too many of us still fear leaving our homes and going on foot elsewhere in the neighborhood. Tourists are always cautioned to take a cab. There are those arming themselves for their own safety.

Nothing will change until we get honest information from a police chief who isn't ashamed of his failure to make the city safe. And until we get a police chief who can develop a plan for dealing with New Orleans' reputation as the most dangerous city in America.

Where is the outrage? Most seem to be content with waiting out the demise of Mayor Nagin with the 2010 election and his successor naming, hopefully, a new police chief who is man enough to do the job. Or until they or a loved one becomes the victim of a violent crime.

And now for the news: Just as a week ago we were victimized by carjackers, this week the "simple" robbers took over.

• Christmas, 2:15 a.m.: Put this in the "a fool and his money are soon parted" file. A white guy leaving Harrah's Casino and walking in the 300 block of Gravier Street was stopped by 2 chicks in a car and asked how much money he had won. He showed them the money and one of them grabbed it from his hand as they drove off.

He described the one robber as a black girl in her 20s, with a dark complexion and brown hair cut above the shoulders. The other was a white woman in her 20s, with a pale complexion and blond shoulder-length hair.

• Friday, 12.26.08, 2:40 a.m.: A black man was sitting on the steps at St. Ann and Dauphine streets when he was approached by several black dudes, one of whom grabbed his coin purse and fled on foot.

The victim identified the suspect as Lenard Legania, 24. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was picked up 3 days later and booked with pursesnatching. He was able to post $10,000 bond a few hours later and get out of Central Lockup.

• Friday, 12.26.08, 8:27 p.m.: A white man walking in the 800 block of St. Louis Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) was accosted by a black couple. The man struck him and the woman took his wallet.

Officers responding to the scene nabbed Paul Washington, 32, and charged him with simple robbery, receiving stolen things, prohibited drug paraphernalia, and possession of crack cocaine. He is being held on $45,000 bond. No word on what happened to his accomplice, the black chick, nor any description of her.

• Saturday, 12.27.08, 11:50 p.m.: Now this one's a little confusing. The 8th District didn't put out a report on it until we asked about it after 2 NOcrimeline readers separately sent us emails reporting it. Both said they were at a party on Ursulines Avenue at Burgundy Street when they and other partygoers heard a woman screaming "Help! Help! Call the police!" When they went outside to investigate after calling the police, they found a pink purse with the woman's wallet inside but the money gone.

When the police reported it, they said the victim, a white woman from Uptown, was walking in the 1100 block of Dauphine Street (between Ursulines and Gov. Nicholls Street) when 3 black hoodlums approached her. One bumped into her while the second grabbed her purse. The police report says the thieves fled down Dauphine toward Canal Street. So how did the purse get on Ursulines near Burgundy?

They were described as 18 to 23 years old, 2 of them 5'8" to 5'10" tall, the other 6' tall; one had braided hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a gray shirt, the second had his hair in short twists and was wearing a long red T-shirt and blue jeans, the third was wearing a dark jacket and dark pants.

• Sunday, 12.28.08, 4:30 a.m.: A white man was sitting in the 500 block of Iberville Street (between Decatur and Chartres streets) when a black dude asked him for a cigarette and then struck him, taking money from the victim's pocket. The robber fled up Dorsiere Street (in case you don't know where that is, it's the one-block street running close and parallel to Decatur, between Iberville and Canal streets).

The robber was described as 30 to 39, medium complexion, clean shaven, balding hair, wearing a white T-shirt and blue cargo shorts.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler