Newell: FBI crime data shows an incomplete picture

Violent crime is down. But it’s also not?

On his Tuesday show, WWL’s Newell Normand dug into the crime statistics that come straight from the FBI, and they do say that violent crime is down by 15.2% in the first quarter of 2024. But the former Jefferson Parish Sheriff says there’s a problem with the numbers.

“Here is the qualifier,” Normand said. “A comparison of data from agencies that voluntarily submitted at least two or more common months of data for January through March of 23 and 24 indicates that reported violent crime decreased by 15.2%. Okay. That's not the overall country. Because the problem that we have is that not everyone is reporting data.”

And Normand said it’s important to report the correct numbers because crime rates will be on voters’ minds this November.

“We know that according to Pew, according to almost every major poll, that violent crime is a very important issue, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, independent or otherwise, in this election and in local elections as well,” he said.

You can hear the full segment by clicking on the link above.