City crime statistics fluctuate slightly
Police are welcoming a continued gradual drop in the juvenile arrest rate which remains one of the highest in the state.
According to crime statistics for McMinnville released by the city police department, juvenile arrests hit a five-year low for the second quarter of the year, as police took 44 persons under the age of 18 into custody this past quarter. The number is a reduction of two from last year’s second quarter, and a reduction of six from the second quarter of 2001, reflecting a steady decline in the overall rate.
“There are a lot of programs and efforts being made to reduce the numbers of juvenile crime,” said McMinnville Police Department Captain Bryan Denton of the continued downward trend.
The lower juvenile rate came hand in hand with an overall drop in the number of arrests in the city as a total of 247 persons were arrested this past quarter, compared to 268 last year and 352 in 2001. The overall arrest rate has also shown a steady decline in the second quarters of the past few years.
One reason for the overall reduction in arrests was a continued downward trend in the area of drug arrests. There were 32 drug arrests this past quarter, down sharply from 59 last year. This year’s number represents about one-third the 2001 drug arrest total when 91 narcotics arrests were made by city officers during the second quarter. Drunk driving arrests remained unchanged at 21.
The overall number of reported crimes, however, was slightly up from last year with 375 crimes reported this past quarter compared to 352 last year. The number is still significantly less than 2001 when 431 crimes were reported during the second quarter. Recently released Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports showed the city of McMinnville ranked among the highest in city’s its size in solving crime.
News was mixed when it came to property crime as the burglary rate continued a three-year decline with 32 break-ins reported, down two from last year and down 10 from 2001. However, thefts shot upward with 152 reported, 20 more than last year’s second quarter. The number was still down from 2001 when 187 were reported. Shoplifting cases continued a three year increase with 33 reported, up from 26 last year and 21 in 2001. The fourth quarter, October through December, is generally the highest quarter for shoplifting because of the Christmas season.
In the area of violent crime, assaults increased this past quarter with 62 reported, compared to 46 last year. There were three robberies reported and six sex offenses.
Police answered an average of 38 calls per day in the city last quarter, responding to a total of 3,526 calls for service. Friday and Saturday accounted for the most calls with an average of 42 calls for service received on those weekend days. Officers issued 1,092 citations, a number which was down from 1,123 last year.
As part of the citation total, the city’s noise ordinance, which is now being aggressively enforced, saw 74 citations for loud music issued. The number is up dramatically from just the quarter prior when only 17 noise ordinance citations were issued.
Crime stats at a glance
• Juvenile crime hit a five-year low for the second quarter.
• There were 27 fewer drug arrests than last year’s second quarter.
• Thefts shot upward with 20 more reported incidents.