Murders across the country skyrocketed in 2020 and some cities have continued to be hit with violence, homicides, robberies and other crimes in 2022.
Fox News Digital examined five cities that have experienced spikes and ongoing crime problems this year, including record homicide numbers, murder rates that remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, and increases in other violent crime.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is one of America’s most beloved party cities and towns, but this year it was hit with violent crime. There have been 251 murders as of this month, according to Nola.com, for a rate of five murders per week.
New Orleans is now expected to rank first among cities across the country with the highest murder rate. The murders recorded so far this year represent an increase of more than 13% compared to the 221 murders recorded in the city last year, and a 52% increase in murders compared to 2019, which saw the lowest number of murders. murders in the city since 1971. .
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Police vehicles block access to Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Over the summer, city leaders voted to reinstate facial recognition technology for use by police as violent crime continues increasing.
(Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A survey before Election Day last month found crime a top concern for New Orleans residents, as well as residents of Orleans and Jefferson parishes, with people reporting quality of life has declined amid the crime wave, WWL-TV reported earlier this year. .
Kansas City, Missouri
A Kansas City police vehicle in Missouri.
(KCPD/Facebook)
Kansas City has previously been ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, according to various reports. This year, it was ranked number one by WalletHub in October for having the largest increase in its homicide rate compared to other major cities.
Kansas City has recorded 158 homicides as of this month. The number means 2022 is the city’s second bloodiest year in the city’s history, behind the wildly violent year of 2020, when there were 178 homicides, Fox4KC reported this month.
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Like other police departments across the country, Kansas City has faced staffing problems, including 87 officer vacancies as of last month. The department just announced a new police chief, Stacey Graves, a 25-year veteran, who said last week that she will work to build bridges between the department, city leaders, and the community to make Kansas City a place sure.
“Reducing violent crime is a top priority through a citywide approach to addressing the core problems of violent crime. This initiative spans city services, social service agencies, the community, youth, area leaders (local, state, federal) and police,” Graves said. in a comment provided to Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for the department added that crime “is a multifaceted challenge for communities affected by it” and will work to build trust between the department and the community “to ensure that people feel they can be partners with us in solving violent crimes.” “. in our communities, thereby reducing future violent crime.
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon skyline.
(David Papazian via Getty Images)
In recent years, Portland has frequently drawn the nation’s attention for crime problems, with some business owners packing their bags this year and moving out of the city over safety concerns, and residents denouncing rampant drug use and Homelessness.
Homicides have also plagued the city. Portland recorded a record number of homicides last month, with 93, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Shooting incidents also rose slightly in the city, according to police data. There were 1,195 shootings between January and November this year compared to 1,192 shootings during the same period in 2021. In 2019, before pandemic lockdowns upended everyday life and protests and riots spread across the country following the killing of George Floyd, there were 379. shootings between January and November.
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The police office has been working to increase staff numbers in recent years and reports it has more than 800 total sworn members as of this month compared to its lowest number of sworn members in September at 773. The issues of staff have been cited by some residents. who say more police need to be on the streets, and will help with high-priority 911 response calls that have had an average wait of more than 16 minutes this year.
“With the police force overloaded, people think they can do anything now,” Carol, a longtime Portland resident, told Fox News in September. “I feel like it won’t always be like this, but right now we’re in the middle of… lawlessness.”
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia downtown skyline.
(Joe Daniel Price via Getty Images)
The City of Brotherly Love recorded its highest number of homicides in its history last year with 561. As of December 19, the homicide rate is down 7%, police data shows, with 500 homicides compared to 540 homicides registered during the same time period in 2021.
Although Philadelphia is showing an improvement in violent crime, the number of homicides this year is much higher than pre-pandemic numbers. There has been about a 40% increase in homicides this year compared to 2019, and an 80% increase in homicides compared to 2016.
Philadelphia also broke a dismal record this year for the most carjackings ever recorded in the city. After just nine months of the year, police announced in September that more than 1,000 carjackings had taken place. Philadelphia’s previous record was 847 carjackings in 2021, Fox 29 reported at the time.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
A Google Earth image shows an exterior entrance to the Milwaukee County Courthouse in Wisconsin.
(Google Earth)
Milwaukee will end 2022 by breaking its homicide record for the third year in a row. There have been 211 homicides as of December 19, compared to 193 homicides in 2021 and 190 in 2020.
Homicides this year show a 90% increase compared to 2019, when the city recorded 111 homicides.
Car thefts this year are also up by nearly 5%, with 390 such incidents recorded so far this year compared to 372 in all of 2021.
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“The Milwaukee Police Department remains committed to providing public safety with the resources provided to us,” a department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The department has launched several initiatives to address such crimes, including implementing a “Summer Guardian” program “that strategically deployed resources to designated areas” where gunshots are reported. The department is also placing more emphasis on community outreach, including posting plans to address crime among residents and holding monthly sessions to hear from locals.
“We launched numerous initiatives to address high-priority issues like violent crime, reckless driving, and auto theft, using our community partners as a force multiplier. Together, we have combined to make great progress in tackling crime as most crime categories have improved significantly in the last year,” the spokesperson added.
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Protesters hold a sign reading “Defund Police” during a protest over the death of a black man, Daniel Prude, after police pulled a spit hood over his head during an arrest on March 23, in Rochester, New York on September 6, 2020. .
(REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Communities across the country witnessed an increase in violent crime in 2020, with murders up nearly 30% compared to the previous year, according to FBI data. It marked the largest single-year increase in murders since the agency began tracking crimes.
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Experts who previously spoke to Fox News Digital pointed to a number of variables that have likely contributed to the increases since 2020, including: anti-police rhetoric voiced by Black Lives Matter and advocates of defunding the police, the pandemic, a culture of lawlessness promoted by liberal district attorneys and the “Ferguson effect”, when police back down when violent crime increases.
Police departments across the country that were defunded or saw a mass exodus of officers amid anti-police rhetoric have also sounded the alarm that staffing must be increased to protect citizens and curb crime.
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“There is definitely a crisis,” Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes told Fox News earlier this year. “We are losing experience at a level that should be a concern to all Americans.”
