Reports of crimes - including violent crime - are up this year in Lawrence.
More people have reported robberies, rapes and assaults than in 2005, according to statistics Lawrence police have submitted to the FBI. And the year isn't over yet.
Although the reasons for the jump in reported crime are hazy, this much is certain: The number of reported crimes - especially violent crimes - is up across the board, mirroring national statistics.
And that's counting crimes reported during only the first nine months of 2006.
Sgt. Dan Ward of the Lawrence Police Department said differences in reporting procedures, population increases and other reasons could affect reported crime. Still, he said, crime reports have climbed, and police are concerned.
Reported crimes from the first nine months of 2006 already eclipse totals from all of 2005 in several areas. Depending on the volume of criminal activity reported in the past three months, the number of total reported crimes in Lawrence could reach a five-year high.
The previous high was last year's total of 9,417 reported crimes. There were 9,351 reported crimes in the first nine months of 2006.
Violent crimes up
Some violent crime reports have increased.
Robberies have jumped from 49 last year to 58 through September 2006. Sixteen of those 49 robberies in 2005 happened after Oct. 1.
If the last three months mirror that pace, it would put the 2006 total around 74 - the highest single-year total of the past five years.
Several other violent crimes also have increased, including rape, aggravated assault and simple assault - all by similar margins, data show.
Ward said that even with the rise in crime this year, he thought Lawrence is still a safe place to live and work.
Adequate staffing
City Attorney Scott Miller said resources in general are a concern to the city, and the police department works to make sure its officers are used as effectively as possible.
When fully staffed, the department has between nine and 16 officers patrolling a city of almost 90,000. On busy nights and weekends, several patrol officers are stationed downtown on foot or in patrol cars during night hours.
Other city departments have demands as well, Miller said, and there is only so much money to go around.
"Obviously, more resources for any department of the city results in a better product," Miller said.
City Manager Dave Corliss said the city views adequate police staffing as one of its most important responsibilities.
"Clearly, the safety of the community is an essential city service," Corliss said. "It's something we're not going to take for granted."
Two sergeant positions were created to supervise a unit that will include school resource officers and a new neighborhood resource detail, which will work with neighbors to help address crimes like robbery and vandalism.
Two officers will be assigned to the detail, which is slated to begin after the new year.
Also, 10 recruits from a new academy class are in training and likely will be ready for patrol duty in the first quarter of next year.
Incomplete picture
Some increases in crime reports, however, are not necessarily the result of more crimes being committed, Ward said.
The increases in disorderly conduct and simple battery reports are due, in part, to officers documenting the crimes more accurately, he said.
Lawrence also is growing, Ward said, with "an increasing population of citizens who demand a responsive police department."
Still, reported crime statistics are not always an accurate picture of actual crime in a city - especially domestic crimes that happen behind closed doors.
"It isn't something that law enforcement can always resolve," said Sarah Terwelp, executive director of Women's Transitional Care Services.
From January to September of this year, WTCS has served 559 survivors of domestic violence - only 214 of whom contacted law enforcement, Terwelp said.
At GaDuGi Safe Center, which provides rape-victim survivor services, only about one-third of women seeking help have reported a crime to the police, said Megan Mecomber, an advocate at the center.
Although the center didn't have exact numbers for this year, Mecomber said more women have been reporting sexual assaults that have occurred in the past and are seeking counseling.
Comments
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ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"Other city departments have demands as well, Miller said, and there is only so much money to go around.
"Obviously, more resources for any department of the city results in a better product," Miller said."
No SIR Mr. Miller. more resourses does NOT guarntee a better product. These public figures need to STOP with this stupid, untrue, and condescinding statement. Usually the Best funded end up with a lot of useless "toys" and do not know how to employ what they have. Conversely, a lower funded program knows that it must get the most bang for the buck, and handles the money accordingly.
PRoductivity is not tied to how much money is provided, neither is conviction rates or crime rates. That is just DUMB!
classclown (Class Clown) says…
"Several other violent crimes also have increased, including rape,..."
Out of curiousity, are all rapes being lumped together and considered violent?
What about consensual sex with someone that's underage? Or having sex with someone that is too inebriated or otherwise considered not to have had the mental capacity at the time to have given informed consent(or whatever the term is)?
From a legal standpoint are all forms of rape considered a violent crime?
No emotional answers please. I'm just wondering if the law makes any sort of distinction of rapes being non violent vs violent.
smitty (anonymous) says…
As far as personnel...the LPD just last week had a story that included the information that eleven, that's 11, new recruits graduated. So it appears that at the very same time 10 recruits from a new academy class are in training.
The argument from a KU police officer was that there were many LPD retired and others promoted to replace the slots. I disagree.
This story states that *when fully staffed, the department has between nine and 16 officers patrolling.* I take it that this is per shift but the coverage today is unclear on that.
So we are in the process of 11 new recruits just graduated doing ride alongs and 10 more in a few months. That's 21, enough for between one and one-half to two plus shifts in replacement street officers. Wow that many retirements? NOT! Olin has a high attrition rate.
I have repeatedly stated that there is a problem with the numbers Olin trains and it isn't due to attrition but a major moving on of trained officers when they get their fill on politics/criminal behavior/perjury/obstruction of justice in Olin's LPD.
As far as crime being up in Lawrence, maybe, maybe not. It took serveral years befor Olin put his officers on the downtown guns carried by the gang bangers, serveral years before Olin decided to enforce some of the party/noise/neighborhood nusiance problems forcing more ordinances to be written.
Don't forget the high number of calls created by the wet shelter drunken druggies. Both of the first two problems are up due to enforecement that was ignored early on. And the wet shelter will always be a problem for the community but no excuse for the lack of paper to document the problems.
And this is but a small faction of why calls are up but these are some of the calls that have made the news paper and the stats rise.
Olin needs to be replaced.
Bladerunner (anonymous) says…
Smitty, Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the rock.
NotASquishHead (anonymous) says…
Smitty, I love your comments on the "wet shelter drunken druggies"... It is something I really hate my tax dollars going to.
I think you have the academy part wrong though... I'm guessing it's the same class, just probably lost one.... 11-1=10. I say this because I read the lawrence pd webpage frequently for crimes stats, public comment, etc. and having seen any job advertisements.
Merry Christmas to all.
NotASquishHead (anonymous) says…
sorry, typo... should say "and haven't seen any job advertisements."
mikeyboy (anonymous) says…
I think the recent grads are the ones to which he is referring. They will spend around 90 days with a Field Training Officer before they are out on patrol solo. That would put the date in the first quarter '07.
cowboy (anonymous) says…
The LPD could learn some strong lessons in visibilty or lack there of.
Put the marked cars on the street , not frigging ninja cops with radar guns hiding on top of earthmovers , in trees , and out at the Holiday Inn to get a few bucks out the commuters.
doc1 (anonymous) says…
Cowboy. The ninja cops you speak of are part of the traffic unit. Although employed by the city the government pays their salary, not the city. They are not considered part of the total police numbers because they don't take calls.
devilfish (anonymous) says…
Class Clown,
Rape is divided into forcible and non-forcible categories and are separated in all data released by the FBI. Rapes as they are talking of here consist of forcible, involuntary and violent.