HPD Crows Over Another Crime-Rate Drop
The Houston Police Department is once again boasting of a noticeable drop in crimes, as reported to a national database.
"Safest big city in America," chief says
Comparing the first half of 2011 to the first half of 2010, murder is down 37.1 percent, robberies 20.8 percent and overall violent crime 9.2 percent, HOD says.
HPD chief Charles A. McClelland, Jr called it "a tremedous decrease" and said the murder rate was on pace to reach "the lowest level since 1965."
"I actually believe Houston is the safest big city in America," he said.
The only major category that saw an increase was rape, which increased 7.8 percent.
Nonviolent crimes have decreased 11.3 percent, with a 12.4 percent drop in auto thefts. In breaking down thefts in the city, burglaries of motor vehicles (BMVs) are down 15.29 percent for the first six months of the year. BMVs are the most preventable crimes and this drop appears to indicate the citizens of Houston have received the message to lock their vehicles and remove and hide their valuables.In addition, burglaries of residences are also down 9.5 percent, compared to the same period last year. This can be attributed to citizens taking precautions to protect their homes, and officers targeting patrols in neighborhoods based on crime data supplied by the 24-hour Crime Center and investigative efforts
So, we're assuming you all feel safer these days...
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