Crime Rate Falling Nationally -- On the Rise in Houston

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/709352

Oct. 15, 2000, 11:12PM
Crime rises in Houston despite national decline
By STEVE LASH -- Copyright 2000 Houston Chronicle

Reports of violent crime rose 6.6 percent last year in Houston, despite dropping nationally by 6.7 percent, according to an FBI study released Sunday. City officials and victims' advocacy groups say part of the blame should go to the courts and to prison releases that burden the city with hardened criminals. Fueling the rise in Houston were sharp increases in the numbers of rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults reported to police last year, compared with 1998. By contrast, the number of murders in Houston dropped 5.1 percent to 241 in 1999, the FBI reported.

"There are so many variables that come into play," said Andy Kahn of the Mayor's Crime Victims Program. "But I do think it's safe to say there's a direct correlation between crime and the increase in the release of violent offenders in Harris County."

Madonna Pitrucha, chapter leader for Parents of Murdered Children, attributes the increase to reduced sentencing guidelines for violent offenders. "The plea bargaining system is really hurting us -- you have murderers and rapists being set free after just a few years in jail," said Pitrucha. "It's a very trendy thing for the courts to do right now, but society suffers for it in the long run."

Nationally, the number of reported murders fell 8.5 percent, and robberies dropped 8.4 percent from 1998 to 1999, the FBI said in its annual compilation, Crime in the United States. Forcible rapes and aggravated assaults dropped by 4.3 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. The nationwide drop in violent crime marked the eighth consecutive year the statistic has declined, the FBI reported. Nevertheless, the bureau said that on average, a person was murdered every 34 minutes last year, forcibly raped every six minutes, robbed every 60 seconds and assaulted every 34 seconds. The statistics, encompassing both violent and property crimes, are based on reports from about 17,000 city, county and state law-enforcement agencies nationwide and are released by the FBI each fall.

Property crimes in Houston rose nearly 2.5 percent from 1998 to 1999, again defying national statistics showing a 6.8 percent decline in these nonviolent offenses, which include burglary, larceny-theft, stolen motor vehicles and arson. The city's increases were due to more larceny-thefts, burglaries and arsons last year. But the number of stolen motor vehicles in Houston fell nearly 5.2 percent, to 19,445 in 1999. The distinction between larceny-theft and burglary is that the former involves taking someone else's property without using force, violence or fraud, while the latter is the unlawful entry of a building to commit a felony or theft.

The crime increase reflected in Houston's statistics for 1999 were in stark contrast to the city's figures in the bureau's report last fall. Last year's FBI study reported that the numbers of violent and nonviolent crimes in Houston fell between 1997 and 1998, with the exception of murders, which remained at 254 for both years, and arson, which rose 3.7 percent.

A Houston Police Department spokesman said the tide already has turned and contends that there has been an overall decrease in violent crime in the city during the first eight months of 2000. "The FBI's figures for 1999 are not necessarily reflective of what is going on now," said HPD spokesman Robert Hurst. "Our raw figures for 2000 suggest programs we've implemented in the past year are noticeably reducing crime." Hurst lauded HPD's targeted area overtime program, whereby officers patrol high crime areas for overtime pay. And he credited the Houston Area Women's Center's Rape Awareness Campaign, which offers classes to HPD officers on rape prevention and victim counseling.

Nationally in 1999, the number of reported burglaries, stolen motor vehicles, larceny-thefts and arson dropped 10 percent, 7.7 percent, 5.7 percent and 4 percent, respectively, from 1998, the FBI reported. The bureau said that on average last year, a burglary occurred every 15 seconds, a larceny-theft every 5 seconds and a motor vehicle was stolen every 27 seconds. In contrast to the good news on crime nationally, the number of forcible rapes in Houston rose 14.3 percent to 748 in 1999; robberies climbed 8.2 percent, to 8,350; and aggravated assaults increased 5.3 percent, to 12,178. Michelle Ostrander of the Houston Area Women's Center said the rise in aggravated sexual assaults in 1999 may be a result of an increased willingness of victims to report the crimes to police, rather than an actual increase in incidents.

Burglaries in Houston rose 7.2 percent to 24,744; larceny-thefts climbed 3.1 percent to 66,068; and arson increased 5.7 percent to 1,735. Nationally, 15,533 people were murdered last year, compared with 16,974 in 1998. The 1999 figure indicates a national murder rate of 5.7 people per 100,000 U.S. inhabitants, the lowest figure since 1966, the FBI reported. Available data on reported murder cases last year also revealed that 88 percent of the victims were adults and 76 percent were male. Half of the victims were white and 47 percent were black, the bureau said.

The victims knew their attackers in 48 percent of the cases. Husbands or boyfriends were the killers in 32 percent of the murders involving female victims. By contrast, wives or girlfriends were responsible for the murders of 3 percent of the men, the FBI reported. Saying that "murder is most often intraracial," the bureau reported that 94 percent of African-American murder victims were killed by blacks and 85 percent of the white victims were slain by whites. Firearms were used in 70 percent of the murders last year, compared with 60 percent in 1998, the FBI said.

Nationally, 89,107 forcible rapes were reported last year, the lowest number since 1985. The 1999 rate of 64 forcible rapes out of every 100,000 females was 5 percent lower than the 1998 figure, the FBI said.


Crime statistics

Selected findings from the FBI's annual study of crime statistics. The study deals with 1999 reports:

· There were 409,670 robberies reported in the United States last year, resulting in property losses of more than $463 million.

· The average bank robbery netted $4,552, while convenience store robbers made off with an average of $620.

· Strong-arm tactics were used in 42 percent of robberies, while guns were used in 40 percent. Knives or other weapons were used in the rest.

· Aggravated assaults accounted for 916,383, or 64 percent, of the violent crimes reported in 1999.

· Last year, about 2 million burglaries were reported in the United States. Nearly 67 percent were homes and 64 percent involved forcible entry.

· Fifty-three percent of burglaries occurred during daylight hours. Property stolen was valued at about $3.1 billion.

· Last year, 6,957,412 larceny-thefts were reported, comprising 68 percent of U.S. property crimes and costing $4.7 billion. Thefts of motor vehicle parts, accessories and contents accounted for 36 percent of those crimes.

· Last year, more than 1.1 million motor vehicles were reported stolen. The value of these vehicles exceeded $7 billion. Cars were the most common vehicle stolen, accounting for 75 percent of the total. Trucks and buses accounted for 19 percent, with other vehicles making up the rest.

· A total of 76,045 arsons were reported last year. People under age 18 were involved in 48 percent of the cases in which a culprit was caught.

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This is kind of disturbing. But what really bothers me is the explanation of city officials:

1. They place much of the blame on inmates released from Huntsville, who get on a bus and travel to Houston. -- How long has Huntsville had prisons? I think this problem would have existed prior to 1999.

2. Part of the reason for the rise is the icreased willingness of Women to report assault / rape. -- That does make sense. But, wouldn't that trend apply nationally?

3. Plea bargaining is resulting in criminals being released earlier. -- Again, hasn't this been a concern for a long time? Is Houston cutting more deals than the rest of the country?

4. The statistics are old, and therefore not valid. -- This indicates that the police recognized a problem during 1999, and moved to take corrective action, and I can believe that. Then why exactly has the Mayor, city officials, and Police department pointed so proudly to the 1998 statistics for the past year, saying crime has fallen, when they knew that was incorrect? Wasn't Mr. Brown a week ago saying how crime in Houston has fallen to it's lowest level in a decade?


When I moved back to Houston several years ago, I was impressed with the efforts the city had made to curb crime. The city had regained a lot of it's pride.

The police department has a lot of outstanding officers -- and I'm friends with several. But the Police Department has suffered just as much under Mayor Brown as the Fire Department. We're slipping -- and our crime problem needs to be fixed.

Thoughts?




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gwayneco,

Gore can't say much about it because of that. Lee P. Brown spoke at his inaguration, and held fundraisers for him. He was also Clinton's drug "Czar," and is rumored to be up for a spot in the potential Gore administration. Brown and Gore are tied together.

If Gore does win, I just hope they don't make Brown Secretary of the Treasury.


Tuesday they had a follow up to this that I should have attached. One interesting point is that the Texas Department of Justice said that they didn't think Inmate release was a major factor, mainly because it has been a very consistant number over the past four years.

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