Editor’s Note: This list has been updated to provide more complete and updated information from the latest set of agency data reported to the FBI.
LOUISIANA (NEXSTAR) – Vehicle thefts rose significantly in 2022, and as people prepare for vacations and holiday travel, it’s crucial to know which areas will be more likely to be targeted. Louisiana is no exception.
Using federal statistics, we analyzed how common vehicle thefts are in the state.
Based on FBI data from 2022, which is submitted by law enforcement agencies every year, we can see how many motor vehicle theft reports were reported in a given area.
Our analysis focused on Louisiana’s metropolitan parishes, which typically contain populations of 50,000 or more. Additionally, because multiple agencies may cover a particular area, data from police departments is included separately from data submitted by sheriff’s offices. Note that the agency rankings below are limited to what is submitted to the FBI and may not represent all agencies in populated areas.
This list includes numbers provided to the FBI by each participating agency in metropolitan parishes across the state. It has been ordered from highest to lowest number of motor vehicle thefts in 2022, the most recent year of data available:
- New Orleans Police Department – 7,109
- Baton Rouge Police Department – 1,593
- Jefferson – 907
- Lafayette Police Department – 735
- Shreveport City Police Department – 687
- East Baton Rouge – 488
- Calcasieu – 357
- Bossier City Police Department – 282
- Ouachita – 255
- Livingston – 225
- Tangipahoa – 223
- Lake Charles Police Department – 222
- Monroe City Police Department – 211
- Alexandria City Police Department – 202
- Ascension – 180
- St. Tammany – 172
- Rapides – 157
- Lafayette – 122
- Lafourche – 120
- Terrebonne – 108
- St. Bernard – 99
- St. Martin – 72
- Houma Police Department – 70
- Hammond Police Department – 67
- St. Charles – 66
- St. John the Baptist – 58
- West Baton Rouge – 53
- Acadia – 50
- Caddo – 48
- Bossier – 38
- Vermilion – 37
- Morehouse – 37
- De Soto – 33
- St. Helena – 27
- East Feliciana – 26
- Grant – 26
- Iberville – 19
- St. James – 19
- Pointe Coupee – 17
- Thibodaux Police Department – 13
- West Feliciana – 7
- Plaquemines – 5
According to the data, the Louisiana metropolitan area with the most motor vehicle thefts is the New Orleans Police Department with 7,109 reports of thefts in 2022. Census data from 2021 shows the city had a population of 376,971 people, meaning about 19 motor vehicle thefts for every 1,000 people.
To clarify, the FBI discourages using these numbers as a way of measuring law enforcement effectiveness because the figures are influenced by a number of factors, and “data may not be comparable to previous years because of differing levels of participation over time.”
