Police say rates fluctuate over time

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Serious crimes are on the decline in Warren County, according to the Kentucky State Polices 2004 Crime in Kentucky report.

The report, released this month, defines serious crimes as robbery, murder, rape, aggravated assault, larceny, burglary, auto theft and arson, and reports a .68 percent decline statewide in those crimes from 2003 to 2004, according to a press release.

Locally, Warren County law enforcement agencies reported 3,818 instances of serious crimes last year, a decrease from 2003s total of 3,861. Agencies reporting were the Kentucky State Police, Bowling Green Police Department, Smiths Grove Police Department (which reported zero instances of crime in 2003 and 2004) and Western Kentucky University.

The report lists the Warren County Sheriffs Office as not reporting in 2003 or 2004; however, Maj. Roger Osborne said hes not sure why the sheriffs office numbers werent listed, but an activity summary for the sheriffs office in 2004 lists 132,836 daily activities. While those activities arent separated into the same categories as the Crime in Kentucky report, it does list 560 drug complaints, 2,480 criminal arrests, 695 domestic violence actions and 1,665 warrants served.

The Bowling Green Police Department had a 4 percent decrease in their numbers this year, said public information officer Barry Pruitt.

Typically, what we see here in Bowling Green is our crime rate fluctuates, almost mirrored to the national crime rate, he said.

Last year, Bowling Green reported one murder, two arsons, 33 rapes, 74 robberies, 181 assaults, 555 burglaries, 2,266 larcenies and 128 auto thefts.

The lone murder in Bowling Green in 2004 took place Jan. 2, when a Bowling Green man, Robert Edward Shirley, shot and killed Alfred Victor Michael. Shirley found Michael in a sexual embrace with Shirleys wife, and shot Michael once in the head. Shirley contended the shooting was an accident, but a Warren Circuit Court jury in April found him guilty of wanton murder and recommended a sentence of 20 years.

January 2004 also brought two cases of arson, one on Jan. 4 in a vacant building on East Seventh Avenue, and another for a Jan. 24 fire on Robin Avenue.

In looking at Bowling Greens crime history over the past 25 years, a pattern emerges, Pruitt said.

If you look at the 25-year numbers, in this year, we had a crime rate decrease, he said. That followed our predictions when we looked at 25-year trends. We want to focus on how we can break that trend when its supposed to start going up a rise and fall is about on a six- to seven-year cycle.

The last heavy crime year was in 1997, he continued, with a small peak in crime around 2002.

In 2004, instances of murder, rape, aggravated assault and burglary decreased for the city police department, while robbery and larceny increased slightly, Pruitt said.

Larceny is historically the biggest problem at Western Kentucky University, said WKU Police Capt. Mike Wallace, and includes thefts from bookbags, vehicles and dorm rooms.

There were 248 instances of larceny reported in 2004 the exact number reported in 2003 as well, according to the report.

Trends in crime at WKU follow a somewhat predictable schedule, Wallace said: crime peaks around school holidays and vacations.

Lots of kids are packing, and (would-be thieves) view the parking lot like a large Wal-Mart, Wallace said. They will go through there and see whats visible, and thats when theyll do the smash and grab.

Many times, crime on the WKU campus is intertwined with crime in Bowling Green, he said for example, if several cars are broken into on campus, its likely theres been a rash of theft in the city as well.

The trusting nature of incoming students often makes them targets for theft, which is why the WKU police force makes an effort to educate freshmen about theft and how to protect their property, Wallace said.

For the most part, weve had a fairly good year, he said. Of course, we think one theft by itself is too much.

The Crime in Kentucky report also contains sections on crimes of interest, which include hate crimes and domestic violence. The report also breaks down offenders by sex, age and race, and lists 2004 drug arrests by area development district, county and drug type.

In 2004, Warren County saw 18 arrests for opium or cocaine, 179 for marijuana, 73 for synthetic narcotics, and 299 arrests for other dangerous non-narcotic drugs. The Barren River Region reported 192 opium or cocaine arrests, 967 marijuana arrests, 299 synthetic narcotics arrests, and 1,986 arrests for other dangerous non-narcotic drugs.

The war on drugs is the biggest crime-related issue for the Kentucky State Police, said Trooper Chris Knifley of the Bowling Green post.

Were seeing an increasing number in meth-related crimes, he said, which include the manufacture of methamphetamine and thefts of materials used to manufacture the drug.

In response to the meth problem, the Kentucky State Police are utilizing undercover law enforcement agents and developing new technologies for investigating possible meth labs, he said. Theyve also initiated an anonymous drug-tip line.

The results of this report are still being analyzed, said Capt. Lisa Rudzinski, head of Kentucky State Police media relations. The information will be used to determine new training procedures, the need for additional educational programs and whether the fight against drug use has been effective, she said. The increase in drug-related arrests indicate more awareness of the problem, she said, which in turn may mean law enforcement officers are making headway in their quest to extinguish drug traffic altogether.

The report, as well as Crime in Kentucky reports for the past 10 years, is available on the Kentucky State Polices Web site, Rudzinski said.

It is a valuable tool not only for law enforcement, but for citizens, she said, adding that people considering a move to Kentucky or to another county may find the statistics useful in their decision. (Crime rate) is a factor people use to decide where to move, and we encourage people to go to our site and look at (the report).

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