Crime in Louisiana 2007 - Justice Research and Statistics Association

Crime in Louisiana 2007
CRIME IN LOUISIANA - THE PUBLICATION
Crime in Louisiana, 2007 Edition, is presented in large part in the form of tables and
charts. The number of offenses and arrests in the State of Louisiana is more clearly
illustrated in this manner. This year we have added charts that give information for
those cities, parishes, universities and colleges and other law enforcement entities
that have reported 12 months of UCR data to the FBI. There are also charts that
show the full-time law enforcement employees.
Many tables and charts throughout the publication contain state totals while some
tables and charts contain information specific to certain jurisdictions. Because not
all law enforcement agencies provide data at this time and some possibly not for
complete reporting periods, offense estimations are sometimes used.
Information was obtained from the national publication Crime in the United States
(2007) published by the FBI. Additional information was obtained from the Louisiana
Drug Strategy and Program Application - FY 2008. As the state program progresses,
more data will be obtained from it and less from the FBI. Data will also be
available more quickly; therefore subsequent editions of this publication will contain
more current data.
It is important to remember when reviewing crime data that the volume of crime in a
given area is related to certain factors. There are some factors which, by their nature,
affect crime that occurs from place to place. Some of these factors are: composition
of the population with reference particularly to age, sex and race; economic
status, including job availability in the population; climate, including seasonal
weather conditions; cultural conditions, such as educational, recreational and religious
characteristics and crime reporting practices of the citizens.
Throughout the publication, references are made to “crime rates”. A “crime rate” is
the number of offenses reported in a given jurisdiction per 100,000 population. In
other words, it is a way to express the volume of crime so that jurisdictions can be
compared more fairly. It should be noted, however, that the crime rate based on
population does not incorporate any of the other elements which may contribute to
the amount of crime in a given community. The effect of population composition
and other crime related factors should be kept in mind when attempting to make
comparisons of crime rates. All crime rates in this publication are per 100,000 population.
Crime rates are calculated by dividing the number of offenses by the population
and multiplying the result times 100,000.
The reader is cautioned against comparing statistical data in individual jurisdictions
solely on the basis of their population. Data should not be used to
calculate the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in Louisiana.
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