Reported crime climbs to five-year high
Reported offenses increased to their highest level in five years in McMinnville during 2003.
A total of 1,501 offenses were reported within McMinnville city limits during 2003, according to the year-end report released this week by McMinnville Police Department. The number was an increase of exactly 100 offenses from 2002.
“A lot of the number came because we had a lot of petty thefts during the last quarter of the year,” said McMinnville Police Capt. Bryan Denton. “We see that crime generally comes in waves, and this year we had more calls than we usually do.”
Calls for service were up during 2003 with 12,766 calls fielded by police. The number was up from 2002 when 12,312 calls were fielded.
While overall reported offenses were up, the major indicators remained basically steady from last year. In the area of thefts, which is one of the more common crimes, there was a slight upturn with 486 reported in 2003 in comparison to 465 in 2002. The number was still significantly down from 2001 when 579 thefts were reported.
Burglaries, both residential and auto, remained almost unchanged with 156 reported this past year, one higher than the year before and 15 more than 2001. Fraud and forgery also showed a minor increase with 57 incidents reported in 2003, four more than 2002 but still less than 2001 when 73 were reported.
Despite the slightly higher crime rate, total arrests continued to decline for a third straight year as 1,005 arrests were made in 2003, down from 1,100 in 2002, and 1,284 in 2001.
According to Denton, some of the downturn in arrests may have been due to the fact less officers were on the streets during 2003 due to turnover.
“Our personnel numbers were down so that may have had some impact on the arrest totals,” Denton said.
Also affecting the arrest numbers, Denton said, were the fewer drug arrests made in 2003, which were less than half the number in 2001. A total of 113 drug arrests were made in 2003 compared to 193 last year and a record 281 in 2001.
“There are fewer drug arrests but the arrests are better quality cases which hold up in court,” Denton said. “We hope the numbers stay down because that may mean we’re actually cutting into drug activity here.”
Also welcomed in the lower arrest totals was the continued reduction in juvenile arrests, which fell for a third consecutive year. A total of 165 persons under the age of 18 were arrested in 2003, compared to 168 last year and 194 in 2001. Detectives reported clearing 499 cases during 2003.
“Hopefully this is a sign that the proactive programs going on which aim to cut into youth offenses are working,” Denton said.
While overall offenses were up during 2003, violent crime and serious offenses were down as a whole.
The most common violent crime, assault, stayed exactly the same as last year with 242 assaults reported, 139 of which were domestic assaults. More serious aggravated assaults were down by two, with 25 reported in 2003.
Robberies were up slightly, with eight reported last year, but still significantly under the 17 reported in 2001. Sex offenses were cut nearly in half with 17 reported, compared to 32 in 2002.
There were two murders reported in 2003, all coming as part of a murder-suicide incident at Treemont Apartments during the summer. There were 34 cases of child neglect or abuse.
The numbers of drunk driving arrests stayed reasonably low with 88 reported, compared to 76 last year and 117 in 2001. According to Denton, DUI numbers have gone down significantly over the past decade as over 200 arrest were normal per year back in the 1980s.
“I think there’s more education out there when it comes to the dangers of drinking and driving, and it also probably helps there are stiffer penalties,” Denton said.
Despite a lower arrest rate, officers wrote more citations during 2003, issuing 4,502 tickets compared to 4,465 the year before. Much of the increase is attributed to the stepped up enforcement of the noise law which saw 185 citations issued.
McMinnville crime stats at a glance
Crime 2003 2002 2001
Total arrests 1,005 1,100 1,284
Burglaries 156 155 141
Drug arrests 113 193 281
Juvenile arrests 165 168 194
DUI arrests 88 76 117
Other figures of note
• Eight robberies were reported last year, down significantly from the 17 in 2001
• Detectives reported clearing 499 cases in 2003
• There were 34 cases of child neglect