McMinnville’s crime rate holds steady
One year was much like another as the crime rate varied little from 2002, according to the McMinnville Police Department’s crime report for the first quarter of this year.
However, one area of progress is being lauded by authorities as juvenile arrests dropped to a three-year low after reports in recent years which showed Warren County-McMinnville with one of the higher juvenile offense rates in the state.
A total of 41 persons under the age of 18 were taken into custody or cited for delinquency during the first quarter of 2003 in McMinnville. The quarter covers January through March and addresses only offenses within the McMinnville city limits.
The 41 juveniles cited is down from 48 cited the first quarter of last year and the 43 cited in 2001. However, the number is still up significantly from the 25 taken into custody in the first quarter of 2000.
The lower juvenile arrest rate follows the overall arrest rate which was down for a third consecutive year. A total of 251 arrests were made the first quarter of this year compared to 268 last year and 346 during the first quarter of 2001. The 2001 year, according to McMinnville Police Captain Bryan Denton, was an unusual year in that the first quarter statistics were dramatically up for the first quarter in all areas. Police point out the peak in 2001 serves to show the long-held suspicion that crime often moves in cycles.
The reduction in arrests was not necessarily followed by a reduction in reported offenses as these rose slightly with 289 reported the first quarter of this year compared to 279 last year and 361 in 2001.
The rise in reported crime comes despite the fact two major indicators were virtually unchanged from last year. In the area of theft, there were 86 reported larcenies this year compared to 82 last year. Both numbers pale in comparison to 2001 when 165 thefts were reported. Meanwhile, burglaries, both home and auto, were down with 32 reported this year, compared to 35 last year and 34 in 2001. Shoplifting was up slightly with 30 reported, compared to 25 last year and 39 in 2001. Police were also happy to see the numbers of fraud and forgery cases stay somewhat low with 13 reported. The number was up from six last year but still down from 18 in 2001. Prior to 2001, the paper crimes were on an upsurge as thieves took advantage of leaps in technology which led to more realistic computer-generated forgeries.
Another major crime indication, the offense of assault, was also down this year with 45 assaults reported, with 23 of that number being domestic assaults. The number of assaults marked a three-year low with 58 reported last year and 60 in 2001. The more serious aggravated assault was up slightly with nine reported compared to six last year and 10 in 2001. One of the aggravated assaults was the result of a domestic situation.
In the area of violent crime, McMinnville saw a somewhat quiet quarter with no murders and a big drop in sex crimes, from nine last year to two this year. The city had one robbery. In the area of drug intervention, police made 32 drug arrests, down from the 48 made last year.
As the result of a drop in many major crime indicators, the numbers of calls answered by police were down this year. Police responded to 2,679 calls for service the first quarter, compared to 2,743 last year and a record high 3,116 in 2001. The number of calls answered averages out to 29.76 per day. The heaviest calls were handled on Fridays, with an average of 32 calls each Friday. Thursday was second with 31 calls per day. Sundays saw the least calls with an average of 25 on each Sabbath.
Police issued 1,113 citations this past quarter and arrested 28 people for drunk driving. The drunk driving number was up from the 17 made last year. Six people were also arrested for public intoxication. Another 111 were arrested for driving violations.