New Orleans violent crime down for third year as National Guard begins patrols
New Orleans reported a third consecutive annual decline in violent crime in 2025, with murders falling to 121 (a total that includes the 14 killed in the Jan. 1 Bourbon Street vehicle‑ramming). President Trump authorized roughly 350 National Guard troops to deploy under Gov. Jeff Landry’s command to the French Quarter for New Year’s and upcoming events — a visible, public‑safety support role (not immigration enforcement) supplementing about 800 local, state and federal officers — and the patrols began as the city marked the one‑year anniversary of the attack amid ongoing debate over permanent vehicle barriers and accountability.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- President Donald Trump authorized a deployment of 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans, to remain through Feb. 28, 2026; they will operate under Gov. Jeff Landry’s command, support DOJ and DHS efforts, and many Guardsmen previously served supporting law enforcement in Washington, D.C.
- The Guard deployment was confined to the French Quarter for New Year’s/security at major events (including the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras), is framed as visibility and public‑safety support (not immigration enforcement), and some Guard vehicles (Humvees) were used to block entrances lacking permanent barriers.
- The deployment began as the city marked one year since the Jan. 1, 2025 Bourbon Street vehicle‑ramming attack that killed 14 and injured dozens; the attacker, identified as U.S. Army veteran Shamsud‑Din Jabbar, had expressed support for ISIS on social media and was shot by police; multiple bombs in coolers were later found but did not detonate.
- Local security for the New Year’s period included more than 800 local, state and federal officers to close Bourbon Street, patrol, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic; reporting also noted roughly 142 Guardsmen assisting with road closures and that hundreds of Guard troops were expected overall.
- Crime trend context: New Orleans police reported violent crime fell for a third straight year in 2025, with murders dropping from 266 in 2022 to 121 in 2025 (the 2025 total includes the 14 killed on Jan. 1); that decline preceded the National Guard patrols.
- Political and local responses were mixed: Gov. Landry and President Trump touted Guard deployments as improving safety (Landry had sought up to 1,000 troops in September), local Democratic leaders had opposed that larger request, and Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said she supports the Guard as a deterrent while noting the city’s understaffed 910‑member police force.
- Officials and victims pressed for permanent infrastructure fixes after the attack: current vehicle‑stopping measures (bollards, parked vehicles and 32 large steel barriers manually set each night) are described as temporary; consultants recommended pedestrianizing Bourbon Street or installing permanent crash‑rated gates, but the city delayed action until a new mayor takes office—meanwhile 80 people filed suit alleging some barriers were not functioning and others were left in storage, and victims and families criticized the lack of visible safety and accountability.
đź“Š Relevant Data
The decline in violent crime in New Orleans in 2024, including a 39% drop in murders and 46% drop in non-fatal shootings, is attributed to advanced policing technology such as cameras, drones, and license-plate readers; increased arrest rates for shootings and murders; violence interruption programs at hospitals and in communities; and improved community trust leading to more tips and cooperation.
How New Orleans Is Leading the Nation in Violent Crime Reduction — Governing
In New Orleans, Black individuals have been extremely overrepresented as victims of murder for decades, accounting for at least 80% of murder victims, while comprising approximately 55% of the city's population.
New Orleans murder victims mostly Black people, analyst says — WDSU
Nationally in 2023, the homicide victimization rate for Black persons was 21.3 per 100,000, compared to 3.2 per 100,000 for White persons, indicating Black individuals were over 6 times more likely to be homicide victims.
Homicide Victimization in the United States, 2023 — Bureau of Justice Statistics
From 2020 to 2024, the New Orleans metro area gained 10,155 Hispanic residents while experiencing a net loss of 41,045 residents overall, contributing to increasing multiculturalism amid population decline.
Who Lives in New Orleans and Metro Parishes Now? — The Data Center
đź“° Sources (9)
Violent crime fell in 2025 for a third straight year in New Orleans. That's before National Guard troops began patrolling
New information:
- New Orleans police reported that violent crime, including murders, shootings, armed robberies and carjackings, declined again in 2025, marking a third consecutive yearly drop since 2022.
- Murders fell from 266 in 2022, when New Orleans was labeled the per‑capita 'murder capital,' to 121 in 2025, a figure that includes the 14 people killed in the Jan. 1, 2025 vehicle‑ramming attack.
- President Trump publicly claimed at a Saturday news conference that crime in New Orleans was 'down to almost nothing already' and credited the National Guard deployment, even though the 2025 decline preceded the Guard patrols.
- Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said she supports the Guard presence as a deterrent, noted the city has an understaffed 910‑member police force, and said she would welcome Guard troops in crime hot spots beyond the French Quarter.
- The article clarifies that New Orleans’ murder figures are defined as criminal homicides under investigation, excluding suicides, accidents, justifiable homicides and suspected manslaughter.
National Guard troops patrol New Orleans on New Year's a year after attack
New information:
- CBS details that a caravan of National Guard Humvees moved down Bourbon Street to block entrances that lack vehicle‑stopping barriers as the deployment began.
- New on‑the‑ground reaction from residents and workers, including quotes from a local resident identified as Phillip opposing the Guard presence and bar security worker Chris Wolfe supporting it.
- The article gives a more graphic, first‑person account from New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna describing the prior attack scene as a 'nightmare' with bodies and body parts strewn across Bourbon Street.
- It reports that 80 people affected by the attack (families of the dead, injured survivors, and traumatized witnesses) filed an October lawsuit against the City of New Orleans alleging that some installed barriers were not functioning and that additional sidewalk barriers ('archers') were sitting in storage and not deployed.
- Attorney Michael Ceresa of Romanucci & Blandin is quoted saying the city had tools to prevent or mitigate the attack, that a 2016 French Quarter security plan was 'failed from the start,' and that the city has been 'relatively quiet' and taken 'no steps to take any accountability' in response to the suit.
- The city declined comment citing pending litigation and instead pointed CBS to its general New Year’s security press conference and news release.
New Orleans boosts New Year's security 1 year after deadly truck attack
New information:
- CBS reiterates that National Guard troops have been deployed to New Orleans to help with security for New Year's celebrations following last year’s deadly truck attack.
- The segment restates that the prior New Year’s Day attack killed 14 people and injured dozens.
Law enforcement ramps up New Year's security measures across the country
New information:
- Confirms that hundreds of National Guard troops have deployed to New Orleans at Gov. Jeff Landry’s request one year after the Bourbon Street truck attack.
- Reiterates investigators’ assessment that the Jan. 1, 2025 Bourbon Street attack, which killed 14, was an ISIS-radicalization case involving U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabba.
- Places the New Orleans deployment within a broader nationwide New Year’s security posture described by a new FBI–DHS threat bulletin.
National Guard arrives in New Orleans for 1st New Year's since Bourbon Street attack
New information:
- Confirms Guard members and other agencies are already on the ground patrolling the French Quarter ahead of New Year’s, underlining the operational start of the previously announced deployment.
- Provides detailed recap of the Jan. 1, 2025 Bourbon Street truck attack: 14 killed, dozens injured, perpetrator identified as U.S. citizen and Army veteran Shamsud‑Din Jabbar, who had voiced support for ISIS on social media and was shot dead by police.
- Describes current security setup as a patchwork: bollards in transition, strategically parked police vehicles, and 32 large steel barriers manually pushed into place nightly to form pedestrian zones.
- Quotes 8th District NOPD Capt. Samuel Palumbo calling the current barrier system a 'temporary solution to a permanent problem' and stating the barriers are not designed for high‑speed impacts.
- Reports that a consulting firm hired by the city has recommended making Bourbon Street pedestrian‑only, while Palumbo is urging installation of permanent gates rated to withstand crashes up to 50 mph.
- Notes that the New Orleans Governmental Affairs Committee delayed action on permanent gating until incoming Mayor Helena Moreno takes office in January, drawing criticism from victims’ attorney Morris Bart, who says it is 'ridiculous' that no long‑term fix has yet been adopted.
- Includes victim‑family perspective from Melissa Dedeaux, whose 18‑year‑old daughter Nikyra was killed; she criticizes the lack of visible safety and describes learning of her daughter’s final moments from graphic social‑media video.
National Guard deploying to New Orleans as city marks 1 year since terror attack
New information:
- Confirms the deployment begins Tuesday as New Orleans marks one year since the Jan. 1 Bourbon Street terror vehicle‑ramming that killed 14 people.
- Specifies that approximately 142 Louisiana National Guard members will assist with road closures in and around the French Quarter and that "hundreds" of Guard troops are expected overall.
- Details that more than 800 local, state and federal law‑enforcement officials will be deployed to close Bourbon Street to vehicles, patrol the area, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic.
- Reports that federal agents have been conducting an immigration crackdown in New Orleans since the start of the month, arresting at least several hundred people, while officials stress Guard troops will not engage in immigration enforcement.
- Describes state‑level commemorations: a Jan. 1–4 official mourning period, flags at half‑staff statewide, and Gov. Landry’s call for bells to ring 14 times at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 4 to honor the victims.
National Guard to patrol New Orleans for New Year's a year after deadly attack
New information:
- Confirms the 350‑troop National Guard deployment was specifically authorized by President Donald Trump, not just the Pentagon.
- Specifies that the Guard deployment will begin Tuesday as part of New Year’s security exactly one year after a Jan. 1 Bourbon Street vehicle‑ramming attack that killed 14 people.
- Provides new operational detail that Guard troops will be confined to the French Quarter and will not participate in immigration enforcement, with their role framed as visibility and public‑safety support.
- Details that more than 800 local, state and federal law‑enforcement officers in total will be deployed to close off Bourbon Street to vehicles, patrol the area, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic.
- Adds background on the attacker: Shamsud‑Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had expressed support for the Islamic State on social media, was fatally shot by police after driving around a blockade and ramming revelers.
- Reveals that multiple bombs in coolers were later found around the French Quarter following the attack but none detonated.
- Notes that 100 National Guard members were initially sent to New Orleans immediately after the Jan. 1 attack, before the broader 350‑troop deployment.
- Reports that New Orleans Democratic leaders previously opposed Gov. Jeff Landry’s September request for 1,000 Guard troops, arguing the city’s violent‑crime rate had already declined.
Pentagon to send 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans as violent crime surges ahead of major events
New information:
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirms 350 National Guard troops are being deployed to New Orleans through Feb. 28, 2026.
- The troops will operate under Gov. Jeff Landry’s command and support DOJ and DHS in enforcing federal law and countering high violent-crime rates in New Orleans and other Louisiana metro areas.
- Guard members will provide security in the French Quarter for New Year’s Eve, the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras events.
- Maj. Gen. Friloux says many of the Louisiana Guardsmen previously supported law-enforcement efforts in Washington, D.C., and that some currently serving there are expected to return to Louisiana for this mission.
- Gov. Landry publicly argues on Fox’s The Will Cain Show that National Guard deployments can "make cities safe," citing prior Trump-era deployments to Washington, D.C.
- Article notes New Orleans recorded 97 murders as of Nov. 1 and references the early‑2025 New Year’s attack in which a U.S. Army veteran driving a truck with an ISIS flag rammed revelers before being killed by police.