It can be hard to know for sure.
But we found a neat web application that takes local police reports and mashes them up with a Google Maps display to show you where crimes and arrests have taken place. The site only covers major cities, so the only information available on Louisiana citites is limited to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport.
There's also an "analytics" feature that shows you graphs of the crime rate over time, so you can see if things are getting better or worse in a specific area of the city. Cool stuff!
It's free from SpotCrime. Check it out here.
