Crime stats for the first six months of the year are out. Springfield is more crime-ridden than it was in 2006.
The police chief likes to blame the increase on "thugs and drugs." Is that too simplistic an answer?
Consider:
•Crimes against persons up 16.3 percent.
•Robberies jumped 55 percent (from 106 to 164).
•Crimes against property up almost 12 percent.
•Total crimes up 12.6 percent.
Auto thefts remain on the increase -- up 37.3 percent for the first six months of this year, as compared to the same period in 2006. Meanwhile, the solve rate for auto thefts is down; fewer than one in five vehicle thefts is cleared by cops.
6 comments:
Its simple, when one has to pay for your meth instead of making it yourself, one needs more cash. The restictions on pseudo-ephedra is a direct cause. Cities which enacted the restrictions before the states and the feds all had increased rates. Oklahoma City was one of the first cities and its crime rate was soaring when Missouri enacted its restriction. This was actually predicted in the letters to the editor of our paper two years ago.
Too simple an answer? Yes and no.
Yes, "thugs and drugs" are a large part of the problem.
No, they're not "THE" answer.
The answer is our current leadership doesn't have a clue as to how to really fight this problem and the money that should go to helping fight crime is ending up somewhere else.
A certain local egomaniacal talk show host has been all to eager to tell his audience that the cop shop has been losing too many men and women over pay and retirement issues to be effective in fighting crime.
I wish someday he or anyone else in the media really, would do some simple research and then remind listeners/viewers/readers that years ago, the cops and fire persons themselves chose not to take part in the city's retirement plan but to enter another reccommended and managed by peers and police and fire retirees.
Because those managers were cautious, not aggressive investors, the police and fire plan earned less in the market than did the plan the rest of the city employees were on. The city is trying to make things better for police and fire peeps but it's off the backs of the rest of the employees.
That said, back to the question of why the rise in crime? I thinks it's relative to what it takes to survive these days. There are many more people out there who are right on the edge of making a living or not. Those who would otherwise never think of committing a crime are doing just that in order to feed themselves or family. Add these people to the number of "thugs and drugs" (I agree with shak el about meth users) and the math works! More people are becoming criminals.
I thought Cindy was going to solve our crime problem on City Council?
What I want to know is ... reporters are you listening? ... how much of this increase has to do with the gang crisis that we allowed the cops/prosecutors to declare last year without question? How many bangers were actually indicted by the grand jury and for what crimes? Point is: we were not and are not in the midst of a gang crisis. If so, where's the proof? Please, let's set the record straight and provide an honest explanation of criminal activity in this town.
I'm weary of percentages when we're analyzing such a small market.
Mr. Davis, would you be so kind as to post the actual stats for us to look at?
I've posted Branson's but am careful when it comes to reporting percentages alone.
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