The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) issued a report on the week’s crime rates, documenting a series of notable arrests, including one Jeremiah Mills for an array of violent offenses and one Joshua Kagler on multiple felony charges concerning the sexual exploitation of minors, according to an NOPD press release. On July 20, Mills was cornered and detained in a 3400 block Fourth Street residence, following up on a July 18 attempted murder on Julia Street; he faces multiple charges like attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of weapons. Two days later, in a separate incident, Kagler found himself cuffed by officers, slapped with accusations including five counts each of trafficking children for sexual purposes and indecent behavior with juveniles among others.
These arrests are part of a broader picture painted by NOPD’s crime stats, which show a notable decrease in gun-related arrests and seizures compared to the previous year, while the year-to-date arrests for illegal firearm possession dropped a staggering 48 percent from 321 to 166 arrests; however, critics might argue that these figures merely scratch the surface, potentially hiding as much as they reveal, considering they reflect only the reported and documented incidents. NOPD’s firearms seizure count similarly indicated a downturn, with the number of confiscated guns falling by 24 percent, down from 1,400 to 1,066 when juxtaposed with the same time span in 2024…