Baton Rouge’s murder rate is down from 2007, while New Orleans’ rate remains about the same, according to the latest FBI crime statistics.The statistics, which outline crime between January 2008 and June 2008 in cities of more than 100,000 people, were released last week. Baton Rouge has a population of about 230,000. Twenty-five murders were investigated in the first half of 2008 — seven less than the same time period in 2007.  Edward Shihadeh, criminology professor, said despite the drop, crime in Baton Rouge and the U.S. in general has remained at nearly the same level for the past seven or eight years. “It’s hard to interpret a one year change,” Shihadeh said. “These numbers can fluctuate. For the same reason that I wasn’t worried when the numbers went up, I’m not about to pop the champagne cork for this year.”With a 2007 population of about 221,000, New Orleans saw 94 murders investigated between January and June 2008, only two less than between January and June 2007. New Orleans’ murder rate is 42.6 murders per 100,000 people while the Baton Rouge murder rate is 10.9 in the first half of 2008.Other major cities saw an increase in murders. New York City had 252 investigated murders between January and June 2008, up from 235 during the same period in 2007. New Orleans has a murder rate nearly 13 times that of New York City during the first half of 2008 because of the difference in population. New York City boasts a population of 8,220,196. The number of murders in Los Angeles increased from 186 to 196 in the first half of 2008. Shihadeh said he expects crime to increase within the next few years. “We’re on the leading edge of a very serious recession,” Shihadeh said. “Just as an economic boom forced crime rates way down in the ’90s, the recession is going to start pushing crime rates back up again.”Some cities of similar size to Baton Rouge, like Birmingham, Ala., have a higher murder rate — 15.37 — while others, like Madison, Wis., have a much lower murder rate — 1.77. Many cities with universities tend to have lower murder rates than Baton Rouge, according to the statistics. Shihadeh said this is because Baton Rouge is a large city with more than just LSU within its borders. “We’re a city with a big university, but the university doesn’t really define this city,” Shihadeh said. Local law enforcement departments across the country submit their crime statistics to the FBI each month. The LSU Police Department keeps its own on-campus crime statistics they report to the FBI each month. Maj. Helen Haire, LSUPD spokeswoman, said LSU fares well in comparison to the amount of crime at other universities. Between January and June 2008, the University had zero reports of murders and forcible rapes, three robberies, 10 incidents of aggravated assault, 45 reported burglaries, 129 larceny thefts, 10 motor vehicle thefts and zero reports of arson.—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]