Yellow police tape marks off a crime scene. Photo: kat wilcox / Pexels
By Darren Svan | The Center Square
Yellow police tape marks off a crime scene. Photo: kat wilcox / Pexels
(The Center Square) – Shreveport and Bossier City are listed in at least eight safest- or most-dangerous city rankings this year by websites or companies who help consumers with relocation and travel decisions, but federal and state data contradict many of those ratings, according to a Center Square analysis.
An extensive examination of federal and state crime reports reveal this: Bossier’s ratings are better than Shreveport’s in many categories but not all. For example, the population-adjusted “overall crime rate” in Bossier is 20% higher than its neighbor west of the river, according to the data.
The FBI said both cities receive failing grades for, among other findings, violent crime, rape, aggravated assault, burglary and property crime. The number of those offenses are significantly above the national average.
In May, an often-cited ranking by SmartAsset listed Bossier as one of the country’s safest 333 midsize cities.
Bossier was the highest ranked Louisiana city that satisfied the study’s narrow eligibility rules, according to a review of that report.
At 298th, Bossier was, in fact, in the bottom 10.5% of cities, while Shreveport was also on the list, ranked 327th out of 333, or in the bottom 2.1%. No other Louisiana cities were listed.
However, AreaVibes lists Bossier as the 31st and Shreveport as the 32nd safest Louisiana city in 2026. Their report included 30 cities ranked safer, including Kenner and Lake Charles, both considered mid-sized.
Although some rankings are labeled as 2026 crime statistics, they rely on data that is at least two to three years old. Both the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice identify 2024 as the most recent official crime data available for Shreveport and Bossier City. The FBI has not yet released crime statistics for 2025 or 2026.
Shreveport has a higher violent crime rate, whereas Bossier City has a higher overall crime rate per 100,000 population, a measure routinely used by the FBI to standardize data, according to state and federal reports.
Crime statistics are submitted using the NIBRS method, the Louisiana Incident-Based Reporting System and the Law Enforcement Management Information System. The data comes from cities, universities, colleges, parishes, tribes and law enforcement agencies, according to the Louisiana Statistical Analysis Center.
As of 2024, both Shreveport police and Bossier police are NIBRS certified law enforcement agencies, a federal report said. Because Shreveport police did not obtain the certification until 2024, earlier state and federal reports either omitted its information or compiled statistics from other reporting methods, according to a review of documents.
The FBI cautions ranking cities based solely on crimes per 100,000 residents because it fails to account for community differences and other factors, the FBI said.
Yet, it remains the underpinning of consumer reports and city rankings.
Documented crime or the perception that one city is more dangerous than its neighbor is often mentioned for outmigration from Shreveport to Bossier Parish, or other parts of the metropolitan area.
Among Louisiana cities with populations larger than 10,000 people, Shreveport is fourth-highest in violent crime rate with 1,212 offenses per 100,000 population, and Bossier is ninth with 900 offenses, according to the state’s criminal justice report released this year with 2024 statistics.
Violent crime in Shreveport is 35% higher than Bossier.
Alexandria topped the list with more than twice the number of violent offenses, when compared to Shreveport.
For the overall crime rate, Bossier came in fifth with 11,724 offenses, whereas Shreveport was eighth on the list with 9,743. Monroe was first with 16,597.
The state report did not provide 2024 crime data for Baton Rouge or New Orleans. The state validates Louisiana crime data submitted from participating agencies, and then submits it to the FBI.
Shreveport has substantially higher rates of serious violent crime, like murder and aggravated assault, whereas Bossier leads in crimes against persons, property and society – crimes such as drug arrests, prostitution, gambling and weapons violations – and simple assaults.
The FBI created a crime report card for the years 2019-2023. Of the nine listed categories, Shreveport failed all but one, robbery, which received a D grade. The city’s burglary offenses nearly tripled the national average.
Meanwhile, Bossier failed eight categories, with robbery also garnering a D rating, according to the FBI report.
Population-adjusted crime rates show a narrower gap between Shreveport and Bossier than some rankings do.