It seems everyday Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans is touting how low the city’s murder rate is. However, this year is proving to be much, much more violent than last year.

Landrieu has credited his and the New Orleans Police Department’s work for last years low murder rate, whereas just a couple years before New Orleans was known as the ‘murder capitol’ of the country.

Criminologist Peter Scharf, though, says that the city’s murder rate is already increased by 35 percent compared to last year, according to what he described to FOX8’s Meg Gatto.

Scharf apparently tracks every single murder in New Orleans. And so far, things are not good.

This time last year, there were 72 murders already in the city. Fast forward to today, and there are 96 murders,  a 35 percent increase, which Scharf said has to do with NOPD manpower and a revolving door justice system where violent criminals are never brought to proper justice.

Last year, New Orleans hit a low, with 150 murders. This year, Scharf told FOX8 that the murder rate will probably be around 185 murders.

Just over the weekend, it was reported that jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins’ niece was killed in a neighborhood in the Gentilly area. Less than a month ago, an NOPD officer was shot and killed while transporting a violent criminal to another facility.

Landrieu, though, has seemed to have his priorities set on removing Confederacy iconography around the city, caving to pressure from the Left and the local NAACP, who claim the statues of Robert E. Lee and PGT Beauregard are racist.