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State crime is down, local crime is up While the FBI reported a slight overall drop in crime in Oregon for the year 2000 compared to 1999, Jackson County crime was up. Statewide, the raw decrease in crime was 0.1 percent, but 3.1 percent when adjusted for population growth. Total crime in Jackson County increased by 5.6 percent. However, that's not necessarily a call for alarm, law enforcement officials said. "If you make a friendly, accessible police department ... you might get higher crime rates because (police) are easier to talk to," said Medford police Chief Eric Mellgren, adding that crimes rates are linked to how often crimes are reported. A 1.4-percent increase in "Part I" crimes countywide may be attributed to more property crimes - burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft - said Sue Birchfield, a sheriff's department spokeswoman. Part I crimes also include homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, crimes that showed decreases in 2000, she said. Medford Police Department received 4,500 Part I crime reports in 2000 compared to 4,300 in 1999. The increase came after a decrease of more than 1,000 fewer Part I crimes reported between 1998 and 1999. Cases of murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 20.5 percent statewide while aggravated assault was down 6.2 percent in the state. Forcible rape was up by 5.5 percent and robbery rose 1 percent. Statewide, property crimes were up by 0.2 percent although burglary was down 4.2 percent. Larceny-theft increased 1 percent and motor vehicle theft increased by 2.2 percent. FBI spokeswoman Beth Ann Steele suggested that stiffer sentencing guidelines under Measure 11, a minimum sentencing law passed by Oregon voters in 1994, likely played a role in the state's steady decline in crime. But Mellgren said statistics are not necessarily the most important factor to consider in fighting crime. "I don't wake up in the morning and read the crime statistics," he said. "I ask people if they feel safe in their community." The FBI said state and local agencies reported an estimated 165,780 crimes in 2000. Adjusted for population growth, there were 4,845.4 crimes per 100,000 people. Nationally, the FBI report marked the nation's ninth consecutive year of fewer reported crimes and a 22 percent decrease since 1991. It also found the smallest year-to-year overall decline in the same period, suggesting that the dramatic downward spiral since the early 1990s may have hit a plateau. |
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