Numbers don't support negative perceptions, city officials say
BY MARCI LAEHR TENUTA
Journal Times | Posted: Monday, March 10, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - City officials believe people in the community and outside of Racine have the wrong impression of the Belle City.
It's not a city riddled by ever-increasing violent crime, but a place where crime has dropped significantly over the last 40 years.
"There's a lot of negative perceptions," said City Administrator Ben Hughes. "The numbers don't support it."
In a meeting Monday of Hughes, Mayor Gary Becker, Police Chief Kurt Wahlen and The Journal Times Editorial Board, city officials released crime statistics from the past four decades that revealed Racine actually has much less serious crime today, based on population, than it did in 1967, 1977, 1987 and 1997.
"It's a safer place," Hughes said of Racine. "The perception is far, far more severe than it should be."
According to the statistics compiled by the Racine Police Department, in 2007 a total of 509 violent crimes and 4,005 property crimes were reported in the city. Violent crimes include homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.
In comparison, there were 651 violent crimes and 5,497 property crimes in 1997; 700 violent crimes and 6,148 property crimes in 1987; 485 violent crimes and 6,141 property crimes in 1977; and 388 violent crimes and 3,787 property crimes in 1967.
Based on population increases - the city population has gone from 40,881 people in 1967 to 81,086 people in 2007 - both violent and property crimes have gone down significantly. Decreases in crime are part of a national trend, Wahlen said Monday. He also said the city, and the Police Department in particular, still has work to do.
"Violent crimes are still too high," he said. "We've had a spike in robberies. We have a ways to go."
In year-by-year statistics, 2007 showed an 11.4 percent decrease in violent crime and property crime combined. However, in the past year the city has seen a 7.4 percent increase in violent crime, including increases in the number of rapes and robberies.
Becker said if you talk to most mayors, you'll find that violent crime is prominent on their radar screens. Despite that, the dropping crime numbers in Racine are impressive, he said.
Becker said that while he, Wahlen and other city officials will never be fully satisfied with declining numbers, they are committed to continue improving Racine.
Wahlen credits the Community Oriented Policing efforts started by his predecessor, Dick Polzin, as a factor in the crime reduction. It's a program in which the department is still making progress, he said: This year they are closing two COP houses in neighborhoods that have seen improvement and opening two new COP houses in problem areas.