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Overall crime decreasing
Published 6/17/2009 in Local News : Police
By SHAJIA AHMAD
Garden City Police Chief James Hawkins said while crime has been on a general downward trend over the past decade — about a 30-percent decrease — he finds a few self-reported numbers disconcerting, including increasing incidents of aggravated assaults, auto thefts and individuals resisting arrest, he said.
The department already has documented 15 incidents of battery on law enforcement officials since the beginning of the year, as opposed to four incidents total in 2008.
"While 15 doesn't sound like a lot, that's a 275-percent increase," Hawkins said, adding that while resistance is an evergreen problem, he has not seen quite so many batteries in his 25 years with the department.
"That concerns us because we're out there to protect folks, but some are clearly displaying a lack of respect," he said.
Adult arrests also have made a staggering jump in the past five months: about 1,430 arrests since the beginning of this year outnumbers the 940 in the same period last year, a more than 52-percent increase.
Arrests, however, do not necessarily mean a rise in criminal activity, Hawkins said. He partly attributed the hike to heightened levels of traffic enforcement over the last year, an effort on the part of the department to reduce traffic accidents.
As early as this time last year, between three and four officers would patrol the streets within city limits.
Now, as many as six may be out on the streets at one time, and individuals can be served arrest warrants in addition to traffic citations during these patrols, the chief said.
"The bottom line is, what we're seeing is a small jump in some crimes since last year," Hawkins said. "But it's too early to call it a trend."
By the numbers
Crimes Reported (To date last year/To date this year/Percent of change)
Murder/Manslaughter — 0 / 1 / +100 percent
Rape — 14 / 15 / +7 percent
Robbery — 6 / 6 / NC
Aggravated Assault — 43 / 47 / +9 percent
Burglary — 129 / 70 / -46 percent
Theft — 428 / 383 / -11 percent
Auto theft — 12 / 14 / +17 percent
Arson — 4 / 3 / -25 percent
All other crimes — 636 / 539 / -15 percent
Total — 1,523 / 1,474 / -3 percent
Source: Garden City Police Department
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