Crime Rate

KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, 6 pm Thursday, April 18, 1996

Crime Rate

Announcer Jim Benemann: Portland's murder rate is rising fast. Overall, crime against persons is down 8 and a half percent in Portland. Aggravated assaults dropped last year but murders are up a whopping 75 percent. Rapes and robberies also increased.

[Graph]

Crimes Against Persons January-March 1996

Overall ----- down 8.2%
Assault ---- down 14.4%
Murder ------- up 75%
Rape ----------- up 6.4%

Source: Portland Police Bureau

There's better news when it comes to property crimes. In Portland they are down nearly 14 percent from last year, and that includes a big drop in auto theft and burglary. Larceny is also down but arson is up nearly 9 percent.

[Graph]

Property crimes January-March 1996

Overall ------- down 13.8%
Auto theft ----- down 33.7%
Burglary ------ down 19.6%
Larceny -------- down 4.6%
Arson ------------- up 8.6%

Source: Portland Police Bureau

[End]

Portland NORML notes: As other media reported, murders in the three-month period rose from 8 to 14, rapes from 94 to 100 and robberies from 588 to 609. To put the seemingly huge increase in perspective, The Oregonian printed a story on Jan. 4, 1996, headed "Portland homicides drop 19% during '95" (p. B1). Since murderers, rapists and robbers (that is, armed robbers) are incarcerated by the state, there is obviously less need for county jail beds, not more.

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