CHRISTINA: HE ADDED MORE OFFICERS TO THE EAST, MORE THAN ANY DISTRICT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. All rights reserved. CHRISTINA: MALVINA JOHNSON SAT ON HER COUCH, IN HER CENTRAL CITY HOME, WEARING A SHIRT THAT FEATURED A COLLAGE OF HER BELOVED GRANDSON. According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in New Orleans is 5,720.4 per 100,000 people. The murder rate in Baton Rouge for 2011 was the 8th highest in the nation among large cities at 27.6 per 100,000. Based on this trend, the crime rate in New Orleans for 2020 is expected to be lower than in 2016. A TASK WITH THE QUESTION. HE WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE AND GO BACK TO GRAMBLING. Despite a reduction for the third year in a row, New Orleans’ murder rate remains about eight times higher than the national average, said Peter Scharf, a criminologist with LSU School of Public Health. “We just have to be smart,” Ferguson said. It's mathematically the same as doing per capita comparisons and isn't conveying that there are 100,000+ people in a location. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A CRIMINOLOGIST AT LSU. >> THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED CERTAIN AREAS WE NOTICED AS VIOLENT AREAS, AND THEY REALLY INCREASED THE PATROLS AND HOW THEY’RE GOING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY. To understand why New Orleans' stubborn culture of violence persists in some neighborhoods, experts point to root causes that go back several generations. >> WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE TALE OF TWO CITIES, CAN YOU GENTRIFIED HALF OF THE CITY AND LEAVE THE REST OF THE CITY AT RISK? ©2020, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WDSU-TV. When asked about the increase in murders in New Orleans East, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson spoke of it as a challenge that's on his radar. (The US average is 35.4) YOU SHOULD KNOW. That compares to a 1 in 186.0 chance statewide. 23-YEAR-OLD JERMANY MARSH, WOULD OFTEN WALK THROUGH THE HOUSE CALLING HER NAME. The number of officers in the district has been increased, he said, but it’s a challenge the NOPD still works to navigate. CHRISTINA: WHILE CHIEF FERGUSON WORKS ON THAT, HE DOES HAVE STRATEGIES IN PLACE FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY. BUT SHE DOESN’T HEAR PHRASES LIKE THAT FROM HIM ANYMORE. “The question is: What’s the sustainability of a tale of two cities? THE RELOCATION OF SOME TO PLACES WITH MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAN BE A REASON WHY SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GETTING SAFER, WHILE OTHERS ARE STILL SEEING A LOT OF KILLINGS. I THINK WE ARE NOT REALLY IDENTIFYING THE TRUE PATTERN IN THE SEVENTH DISTRICT. Read other stories in a series exploring 2019 murder data: New Orleans murders in 2019: What the data tells us, New Orleans murders in 2019: Explore a map of the killings and names of each victim, 'Cautious hope' for New Orleans after historic murder drop. >> JUSTICE OUT HERE, NOT HAPPENING. We aim to deliver bite-sized pieces of infotainment about where you live. MORE THAN HALF OF ALL VICTIMS WERE KILLED IN TWO OF THE EIGHT POLICE DISTRICTS. CHRISTINA: DESPITE THE ENCOURAGING PRODUCTION, THE MURDER RATE IS AMONGST THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY. IT POINTS TO RACIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN PLACE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. “All the research shows we have extremely high risk, poor transportation, poor education services, poor social services, poor job prospects in some neighborhoods while in other neighborhoods this is a boom city,” Scharf said. Transportation, education and access to jobs and training are less accessible in neighborhoods that see the most violent crime, Singh said.