U.S. new murder capital New Orleans "in total decay": Fox News

NEW YORK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- New Orleans, where crime and murders surg, is named a new murder capital in the United States, but elected officials seem not listening to their own communities and constituents who continue to beg for help, reported Fox News on Saturday.

Over the last year, murders have increased by 34 percent, armed robberies have skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent, while carjackings, theft and gun-related violence continues to climb as well -- "an American city that was once a jewel is now in total decay," it said.

Earlier in mid-September, according to the television network, New Orleans has overtaken St. Louis as the murder capital of America as its homicides are up 141 percent when compared to 2019 and up 78 percent when compared to 2021.

According to data from the Metropolitan Crime Commission, an organization that tracks crime and also tries to bring it down, there have been 52 homicides per 100,000 residents in New Orleans as of Sept. 11 this year.

The city in the state of Louisiana recently hired a consultant, former head of the New York City Police Department's patrol division Fausto Pichardo, to review ways in which the police department can better combat crime, added the report.