Crime: Going down? Going up?

It all depends: Robberies in the 8th District (French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, CBD) are down a whopping 55% in the first quarter this year compared to 2008--30 this year verses 67 last year.

It will take a little longer for the public's perception to catch up with reality for them to feel safe in their neighborhoods again. Particularly in light of these incidents, nearly a robbery a day:

• Monday (4.20.09), 9:59 p.m.: A white guy--presumably a performance artist (guitar player? balloon sculptor? the police report didn't say)--sitting near Jackson Square at St. Peter and Chartres streets was robbed of the money in his tip jar by 2 scruffy white dudes wearing only blue jeans and no shirts. One insinuated he had a gun and though the artist struggled, the 2 bums made off with his tips, fleeing on foot.

Saturday (4.25.09) 8th District detectives showed a photo line-up to the victim and he positively identified Fred Miller, 41, as one of the guys who robbed him. Miller was booked into OPP on charges of armed robbery and public intimidation; he's being held on $85,000 bond.

• Wednesday (4.22.09), 10:45 p.m.: A white couple (she 26, he 23) were walking near Chartres and Frenchmen streets when they were robbed by 2 armed black thugs, who made off with the woman's purse and the guy's wallet and cellphone. The thieves took off on foot up Frenchmen toward St. Claude Avenue.

The victims lollygagged for 12 hours before reporting the incident to the NOPD, which gave the crooks plenty of time to get away.

The perps were described as 20 to 25 years old, one 5'7" tall, weighing 145 pounds, with a dark complexion and medium-length dreadlocks, wearing a blue and white polo shirt and baggy blue jeans; the other was 5'9" tall, weighing 155 pounds, with a short haircut, wearing a baseball cap with a white bandana underneath and clad in a baggy T-shirt and baggy blue jeans.

• Thursday (4.23.09), 3:02 a.m.: An Asian man, 40, and a black female, 27, were strolling near St. Philip and Royal streets when a black thug, armed with a blue steel revolver, accosted them and demanded their money. The victims gave him everything, including their cash, 2 cellphones, ATM and debit cards, driver's license, purse--and the foreigner's green card.

The robber fled on foot up St. Philip, past McDonough 15 and onto Bourbon Street, past Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. He was only described as having a dark complexion, medium-length dreadlocks, wearing a blue and white jersey and blue jeans. (Hmm. Sounds familiar: see the description from the robbery the night before.)

• Friday (4.24.09), 9:40 a.m.: A 59-year-old white man was getting out of his car parked in a lot at Loyola Avenue and Girod Street in broad daylight when a black guy armed with a pistol came up and demanded his money. The victim complied and the robber fled on foot on S. Rampart Street toward Julia Street.

The thief was described as in his 30's, 5'8" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a medium complexion and a short haircut, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Saturday (4.25.09), 1 a.m.: A white couple walking in the 800 block of Common Street (between Baronne and Carondelet streets) were accosted by a trio of black thugs, one of whom slugged the man while his buddies grabbed the woman's purse from her shoulder.

The thieves were all described as in their late teens. One was 6'2" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with a thin build and a light complexion, wearing a white shirt. The second was 5'7 tall, weighing 140 pounds, with a thin build, short afro and brown complexion, wearing a red shirt. The third was 5'9" tall, weighing 140 pounds, with a thin build, brown complexion and shaved head, wearing a lime green shirt.

Teen carjackers nabbed: A pair of teenage black boys were arrested for carjackings over the weekend in the CBD.

• Friday (4.24.09), 9:55 p.m.: A 33-year-old white man returned to his car parked in the 1400 block of Cleveland Avenue (between Marais and S. Liberty streets) and found the rear passenger window busted out. As he was checking the damage, a black punk tapped on the window with a gun and demanded the man get out of his car and give him the keys. The robber told the owner to run and the thief drove off in the car.

• Saturday (4.25.09), 2:51 p.m.: A white woman returning to her car at the same location the day after the previous carjacking was approached by 2 black punks who demanded her car keys. She told them to go to hell and sped off.

Officers who responded to her 911 call apprehended 2 black boys, both 16, and charged them with armed robbery. Because they are juveniles their names can't be released. (Old enough to wield weapons, but too young to have their names in the paper. Anyone remember Wendy Byrne?)

Detectives showed a photo line-up of the 2 boys to the first carjacking victim and he positively identified one of them as the thief who stole his car the night before.

Statistical skeptics: No more had Big Chief Warren Riley released his statistics showing crime--including homicides--was down significantly in the first quarter of this year compared with last year than the skeptics started sniping.

One even conjectured that the reduction in murders--from 43 to 41--might be attributable to "EMT services and emergency room staff doing a better job at saving the lives of people who have been shot."

Others still don't believe the NOPD is fully or accurately reporting the crimes as they happen. Big Chief Riley is responsible for such skepticism.

His failure to set up a uniform system for reporting crimes to the public leaves huge gaps in the information the public receives. Some NOPD districts try to fill the gaps, with varying degree of success. Some pick and choose too carefully the cases they report; others are incredibly vague in their reporting.

It's a simple problem to solve: release the Comstat log reports (like the 8th District used to before Riley put the kibosh on it when he got mad at NOcrimeline). The C-log reports list the date, time and place of the crime, the victims (so you'd know their age, sex and race), a gist of the crime, and description of any suspects. There's absolutely nothing in the reports that would jeopardize an investigation.

And the law says they're supposed to be public information. I guess that makes Riley a criminal for failing to obey the law.

Another way Riley had fudged the crime figures is ordering certain crimes to be reported as "municipal" offenses under the city code rather than "state" offenses under state statutes. The difference is the municipal offenses don't show up in the crime stats; the state crimes do.

We know of at least one case in the 8th District where that occurred (last fall when a teenager attacked an old man on his way to Matassa's Market). No explanation why it was a "municipal" offense and didn't make the crime stats. And if there's one case, who knows how many more there are? So many the skepticism isn't unwarranted.

But you know what? I'm willing to give the NOPD the benefit of the doubt now. It does seem like crime is down--particularly in the French Quarter, and especially in the Lower Quarter.

If any one out there knows of crimes that aren't being reported here, give me the date, time and place. Too often the reports I get from the public are thin on facts and heavy with speculation. I'll do the checking if you take the time to get the rudimentary information.

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

Thom Kahler