Sean C. Morgan
The crime rate in Sweet Home increased a little from 2010 to 2011, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports.
Meanwhile, local statistics show fewer calls for service in 2012. A detailed report, based on local statistics in 2012, will be available when the Sweet Home Police Department completes its annual report in the next two months.
According to the data released by the FBI in late 2012 for 2011, Sweet Home had a crime rate of 54.99 per 1,000 population, up from 52.4 per 1,000 in 2010. It had a property crime rate of 53.44 and a violent crime rate of 1.55 per 1,000 population.
Albany had an overall crime rate of 29.3 per 1,000 population in 2011. Its property crime rate was 28.39. Its violent crime rate was .87.
Lebanon had an overall crime rate of 54.14 per 1,000 in 2011. Its property crime rate was 51.84. Its violent crime rate was 2.3.
Around the state, Portland had an overall rate of 56.03, with a violent crime rate of 5.14. Salem had an overall rate of 41.5, and Eugene had a rate of 52.8.
The national violent crime rate was 3.86 and property crime rate was 29.08, a combined 32.94 per 1,000, a decrease from 21.9 percent in violent crime and 19.9 percent in property crime.
The FBI cautions against making comparisons among communities because a variety of factors influence the crime rate.
Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, theft, arson and motor vehicle theft.
The statistics do not show other crimes, such as criminal mischief and simple assault. Those will be reported with local 2012 statistics when the SHPD finishes its 2012 annual report.
In 2011, Sweet Home recorded one murder, four robberies and nine aggravated assaults. It had zero reported forcible rapes.
Under property crime heading, Sweet Home had 75 reported burglaries, 392 thefts, 15 motor vehicle thefts and two arsons. Among the thefts was an unusual series of thefts from unlocked vehicles during the summer.
In 2010, Sweet Home had three forcible rapes, two robberies and 12 aggravated assaults under violent crime. Under property crime, it had 74 burglaries, 369 thefts, nine motor vehicle thefts and one arson.
In 2012, the department recorded its lowest number of calls for service since before 2005. The police received 7,764 calls in 2012, down from 8,505 in 2011, said Police Chief Bob Burford.
Staffing levels have an impact on that statistic, he said. Officers generate calls when they have undedicated time, when they aren’t responding to calls or investigating.
“That’s where they start generating, they start proactively investigating,” Burford said. “That’s a window that’s not completely secured in a business.”
The department was down one officer in 2012, but it also had three new ones who weren’t on their own until October, Burford said.
“What I suspect is that for the majority of 2012, we were down three officers out on the road, being eyes and ears and being proactive. I think the fact that we didn’t have those eyes and ears out there caused the numbers to be a little lower, but there is no doubt, we saw a decrease in citizen-generated calls for service, which turned out to be a blessing, being down those officers.”