McMinnville crime figures take rare dip

The crime rate dropped considerably as did calls for service during the second quarter of the year, according to McMinnville Police Department reports from the quarter April through June.

The report revealed crime in the city of McMinnville took a 7 percent drop from last year during the same quarter as 376 offenses were reported this year compared to 430 during the same period last year.

Spurring on the drop in crime rate was a dramatic drop in the number of thefts reported, down 18 percent from last year with 93 reported this recent quarter compared to 135 last year. The number of burglaries also dropped, but not at such a large rate, going from 33 last year to 25 during the recent quarter.

One potential contributor to the reduction in thefts, burglaries and overall crime rate was in the correlation between drugs and crime. Police reported a dramatic increase in drug arrests, partly due to the completion of undercover operations which put several drug traffickers in jail, thereby keeping them from committing other crimes. In total, the drug arrest rate nearly tripled from last year with 109 drug arrests this recent quarter compared to 37 last year.

The drug arrest rate helped increase the overall arrest rate despite the fact overall crime was down this recent quarter. The numbers reveal 324 arrests during the recent quarter compared to 297 last year. The number reflects a slight increase in juvenile arrests, increasing by three to 36 but still at a number considerably below years past. However, police point out the numbers do not reflect most of the summer, when juvenile crime is at its highest during summer vacation.

The number of violent crimes remains steady as the most common violent crime, assault, was up by three at 77 in the recent quarter while it?s more serious cousin, aggravated assault, dropped by five to eight in the same period. There was also one robbery, four incidents of child neglect and abuse and four sex offenses. There were no homicides in McMinnville during the second quarter.

There were, however, many tickets handed out by officers who continued their stepped-up enforcement, issuing 1,757 citations, a record number for the city, up by 10 percent this year. The major contributor was speeding with 629 tickets, followed by no proof of insurance at 382 and 150 driver?s license violations. There were 39 drunk driving violations.

The most significant drop of all came in the area of calls for service, a number which, at its time, hit a record peak last year with 3,707. The number dropped by 10 percent to 2,953 this recent quarter, marking the first time the rate has slowed in several years. The preceding quarter, January through March of this year, there were 3,764 calls for service.