What Are the 5 Most Common Crimes in Louisiana?

SHREVEPORT, LA - Crime is something people worry about. It might not impact you directly, but I bet it has impacted someone in your circle. I hear so many folks talking about minor crimes occurring in Shreveport. A friend's wallet was recently stolen and the crooks ran her credit cards up for $2500 dollars. Another friend says her lawnmower was stolen from under her carport.

What People Do to Prevent Crime

Other folks tell me they have to spend thousand of dollars on security systems to protect their businesses and homes. Some have installed special lighting with motion sensors to try to scare away thieves who will even dig through business garbage cans looking for anything they can use, but they leave a mess behind in the process.

You hear lots of talk about violent crimes, things like shootings and murders. But those really don't make up the bulk of the calls to police these days. The Pew Research Center studies crime and the latest data from 2022 shows some interesting numbers.

What Crimes Are Most Common?

Nationwide, theft is the most common property crime.

Assault is the most common violent crime.

And in the overall picture, property crimes are way more common than violent crimes.

The latest FBI data from 2022 shows there were a total of 1,954.4 property crimes per 100,000 people, compared with 380.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

What Are the Top 5 Crimes in Louisiana?

5. Vandalism

4. Simple Assault

3.Burglary

2. Motor vehicle theft

1. Shoplifting, Larceny and theft

Among the violent crimes, aggravated assault is the most common in Louisiana and across the nation.

One thing I found interesting in this Pew Research study is that fewer than half of all crimes are ever reported to police. My friend who lost her lawnmower never called in. She figured it would take forever for police to respond to such a minor crime.