By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
Property crimes in Joplin were on the decline in 2009, but violent offenses such as robbery and assault were on the rise, according to an annual report compiled by the Joplin Police Department.
The report states that violent crimes rose from 771 cases in 2008 to 994 cases in 2009, an increase of about 29 percent.
By contrast, property-crime cases dropped from 4,360 incidents in 2008 to 3,908 reports in 2009, a decrease of roughly 10 percent.
Jason Burns, assistant Joplin police chief, said the decrease in the crime rate can be attributed to two factors: more officers on patrol, and public safety projects such as adding streetlights.
Burns said the number of officers went from 97 to 103. “With the addition of our officers, it’s had an overall impact on crime and the reduction of crime as a result,” he said.
The city has been adding police officers and streetlights since voters in November 2006 approved a half-cent sales tax for public safety.
The number of murders investigated went from three to zero, and rape investigations dipped from 43 to 41. Robberies went from 55 to 65 cases, and assaults were up from 670 to 888 cases for the year.
“For the month of February (2009), assaults we had 32, and 26 of those were from an acquaintance of the victim,” Burns said. “That shows you that the overwhelming majority of these incidents are occurring between people who know each other, and not a random act of somebody walking down the street and getting attacked.”
In terms of property crimes, Joplin officers investigated 739 burglaries in 2009, up from 693 the year before. The department saw decreases in several other categories, including 2,884 larcenies, down from 3,308 in 2008; 268 vehicle thefts, compared with 313 in 2008; and 17 arsons, compared with 46 in 2008.
Jasper County
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department in 2009 investigated fewer burglaries, robberies and homicides than in 2008, but more reports of assault and rape, according to statistics maintained by the department.
The department probed one homicide, two robberies and 192 burglaries during 2009, compared with two homicides, four robberies and 204 burglaries a year earlier.
Assaults were up, to 140, compared with 86 in 2008, and 15 rape reports were investigated, compared with 10 in 2008. Theft reports were down, to 285 from 369 a year earlier, and arsons were down, to eight from 11 in 2008. The department investigated 47 vehicle-theft reports in 2009, the same number as a year earlier.
Sheriff Archie Dunn said he is “encouraged” overall by the statistics.
“We’re working to try to make the county a safe place to live, so I’m pleased the statistics are down in areas like burglary and theft,” he said.
In Carthage, crimes in several categories tracked by the Carthage Police Department were down in 2009.
No murders or non-negligent manslaughter crimes were reported during the year, while officers investigated six reports of rape, the same as in 2008.
Three robberies were reported, compared with four a year earlier, and police investigated 38 aggravated assaults, up from 24 in 2008. Burglaries were down, at 94, compared with 101 a year earlier. A total of 386 larcenies were reported, compared with 350 a year earlier. Twelve auto thefts were investigated, compared with 13 a year earlier. The department probed two arsons, unchanged from a year earlier, and 251 nonaggravated assaults, compared with 207 a year earlier.
Newton County
In Neosho, using a crime index that factors in the number of reported crimes and population, crime dropped 14 percent in 2009, according to a city report.
Police Chief Dave McCracken previously told the Globe that the decline was fueled largely by a drop in property crimes, such as burglaries and thefts, which usually are a staple of local crime. He also attributed the department’s greater success in solving crimes to more collaboration among police officers.
The report showed that burglaries dropped from 87 in 2008 to 64 in 2009, their lowest level since at least 2001.
Cases of thefts from motor vehicles increased from 109 to 117, while general stealing cases declined from 490 to 454. Cases of property damage plunged from 239 to 151, while reported auto thefts went from 25 to 17.
Newton County in 2009 saw decreases in assault cases, larcenies and vehicle thefts, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Newton County had 296 assault cases in 2009, compared with 350 in 2008. It had 364 larceny theft cases last year, and 501 such cases the year before. Motor vehicle thefts were at 86 in 2008 but dropped to 49 in 2009.
Burglaries increased from 209 in 2008 to 226 in 2009, while robbery cases increased from one to four. The department investigated eight forcible-rape cases last year, the same number as in 2008, and two homicides, also the same number as in 2008.
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said the department was pleased but surprised by the drop in several categories of crime.
“Usually, the worse the economy is, you see an increase in crime,” he said. “This is unusual. This is unexpected.”
The sheriff said he could not speculate on why crime had fallen.
Cherokee County, Kan.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department investigated 1,341 cases in 2009, including vehicle accidents, said Sheriff David Groves.
They included one murder, one rape, 11 aggravated assaults, 39 burglaries, 110 thefts and 15 arsons. There were no robberies in the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction in 2009.
The murder victim was Brittney Fox, 19, of Coffeyville, Kan., whose body was found alongside a county road on Sept. 22, 2009. There have been no arrests in that case. Groves said his investigators conducted an interview related to that case Tuesday morning.
“That case is still being actively investigated,” he said.
In 2008 in Cherokee County, there were no murders, two rapes, two robberies, 11 aggravated assaults, 51 burglaries, 115 thefts, and five arsons.
Groves said the increase in arsons in 2009 primarily involved vehicles stolen in Oklahoma and burned in Cherokee County. He said criminals travel across state borders frequently.
Staff writers Derek Spellman, Roger McKinney and Susan Redden contributed to this report.
