Post by SoulTrainOz on Jun 13, 2006 2:49:49 GMT -5
06:37 PM CDT on Monday, June 12, 2006
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Violent crimes rose in most of Texas' major cities last year, with Arlington experiencing a 25 percent increase that included a jump in murders from 14 to 24.
Although Houston's overall crime rate was up only slightly, 2 percent, its murders spiked 23 percent from 272 to 334. Dallas saw a drop in its violent crimes from 16,165 in 2004 to 15,429 last year.
The increase in violent crime in Arlington, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, reflected a national rise in crime spurred by increases in murders, robberies and aggravated assaults, according to FBI data. The national violent crime increase of 2.5 percent, or 1.4 million incidents, was the largest percentage increase since 1991.
Arlington also saw increases in robberies, aggravated assaults, property crime, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.
Lt. Blake Miller, a spokesman for Arlington's police, said the per capita crime rate for a city the size of Arlington – more than 360,000 people – is about the same or better than cities of similar populations.
"Most of our homicides were known suspects, known victims, and when you get some sort of domestic dispute or relationship in there, those are more difficult for law enforcement to effect," Miller said.
Arlington has had only one murder this year, Miller said.
As it has in the past, the Houston Police Department blamed the increase on the influx of some 150,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees – among them members of New Orleans gangs who have relocated to Houston since September.
"The fact that a lot of people came to one location and were living in close quarters might have something to do with it," Capt. Dwayne Ready said. "When your population increases overnight, there is a commensurate increase in criminal activity. We certainly are no exception to that rule."
Ready said if crimes involving evacuees were removed from the equation, the city's murder rate would have been on par with the national average.
On Monday, police announced the arrest in Louisiana of a Katrina evacuee dubbed one of the Houston area's "most wanted killers." Ricardo Irvin, 18, confessed to robbing two evacuees of their FEMA money and shooting them, killing one, police said.
The FBI data, compiled from reports by more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies, do not contain overall crime numbers in any category or offer explanations for the changes. The FBI's final annual crime report comes out in the fall.
In other Texas cities, Dallas, Austin, El Paso, Laredo, McAllen and Wichita Falls saw drops in violent crimes.
Increases also were seen in Abilene, Amarillo, Beaumont, Brownsville, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Lubbock, Mesquite, Pasadena, Plano, Richardson, San Antonio and Waco. Grand Prairie stayed the same.
The number of rapes increased sharply in two cities – from 58 to 78 in Abilene, a 34 percent increase; and from 74 to 97 in Beaumont, a jump of 31 percent. Arsons in Wichita Falls more than doubled to 115.
In Corpus Christi, murders fell from 25 to eight.
Source: www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/061306dntexviolentcrime.1194054e.html
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Violent crimes rose in most of Texas' major cities last year, with Arlington experiencing a 25 percent increase that included a jump in murders from 14 to 24.
Although Houston's overall crime rate was up only slightly, 2 percent, its murders spiked 23 percent from 272 to 334. Dallas saw a drop in its violent crimes from 16,165 in 2004 to 15,429 last year.
The increase in violent crime in Arlington, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, reflected a national rise in crime spurred by increases in murders, robberies and aggravated assaults, according to FBI data. The national violent crime increase of 2.5 percent, or 1.4 million incidents, was the largest percentage increase since 1991.
Arlington also saw increases in robberies, aggravated assaults, property crime, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.
Lt. Blake Miller, a spokesman for Arlington's police, said the per capita crime rate for a city the size of Arlington – more than 360,000 people – is about the same or better than cities of similar populations.
"Most of our homicides were known suspects, known victims, and when you get some sort of domestic dispute or relationship in there, those are more difficult for law enforcement to effect," Miller said.
Arlington has had only one murder this year, Miller said.
As it has in the past, the Houston Police Department blamed the increase on the influx of some 150,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees – among them members of New Orleans gangs who have relocated to Houston since September.
"The fact that a lot of people came to one location and were living in close quarters might have something to do with it," Capt. Dwayne Ready said. "When your population increases overnight, there is a commensurate increase in criminal activity. We certainly are no exception to that rule."
Ready said if crimes involving evacuees were removed from the equation, the city's murder rate would have been on par with the national average.
On Monday, police announced the arrest in Louisiana of a Katrina evacuee dubbed one of the Houston area's "most wanted killers." Ricardo Irvin, 18, confessed to robbing two evacuees of their FEMA money and shooting them, killing one, police said.
The FBI data, compiled from reports by more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies, do not contain overall crime numbers in any category or offer explanations for the changes. The FBI's final annual crime report comes out in the fall.
In other Texas cities, Dallas, Austin, El Paso, Laredo, McAllen and Wichita Falls saw drops in violent crimes.
Increases also were seen in Abilene, Amarillo, Beaumont, Brownsville, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Lubbock, Mesquite, Pasadena, Plano, Richardson, San Antonio and Waco. Grand Prairie stayed the same.
The number of rapes increased sharply in two cities – from 58 to 78 in Abilene, a 34 percent increase; and from 74 to 97 in Beaumont, a jump of 31 percent. Arsons in Wichita Falls more than doubled to 115.
In Corpus Christi, murders fell from 25 to eight.
Source: www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/061306dntexviolentcrime.1194054e.html