I recently obtained HPD's FBI crime report for 2008 and compared the numbers to the period 2000-2007. While crime continues at an unacceptable level, there has been significant improvement in most areas and particularly in robbery and burglary which had been growing at an alarming rate. A copy of the 2008 reports can be found
here*.
The total number of violent crimes for 2008 was virtually flat, increasing only slightly from 24,574 to 24,786. Murders were down significantly from 353 to 295 and robbery declined from 11,479 to 10,603. Rape and aggravated assaults both showed increases.
Major property crimes showed a significant drop with burglaries down from a record 29,044 in 2007 to a more typical level of 26,947 (-7%). Thefts were down from 74,817 to 68,598 (-8%). Auto thefts dropped a whopping 22% from 19,465 to 15,214. All non-violent crime was down by a little over 10%.
The crime rates, i.e., the number of crimes committed per 100,000 of population are even more encouraging. The violent crime rate dropped from 1,127 to 1,104. This marked the third year in a row that the violent crime rate has declined. In fact, the crime rate
decreased for every major category except rape and aggravated assault.
What I found most encouraging in the numbers were significant improvements in the clearance rate for most crimes. The clearance rate is the percentage of offenses in which HPD has arrested and charged a suspect. There were significant improvements in violent crimes, increasing from 25% to 34%. This was the first notable improvement in the violent crime clearance rate since 2000.
The clearance rate for robberies increased to 23% after posting very poor results for 2005-2007. One of the few disappointments in the reports was that clearance rate for burglaries continued to be problematic at an abysmal 7.28%. For all reported crimes, the rate improved significantly from 21% to 32% after three years of very poor results.
Notwithstanding the troubling increases in the rape and aggravated assault statistics and the continued inability of HPD to come up with a strategy on catching burglars, the report shows significant progress. It is always dangerous to attribute increases or decreases in crime to any specific causes. However, there are several recent initiatives which have probably played a part, to-wit:
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» HPD has devoted substantial resources to over-time, providing enhanced patrol and investigative activities, and is gradually increasing its regular compliment of officers, including a squad devoted to robberies;
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» HPD has created special Crime Reduction Units ("CRUs") that aggressively patrols high crime areas;
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» HPD has brought its real-time crime center on-line although it is still in the implementation phase; and
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» Perhaps most significant, numerous private and community groups have become engaged in crime prevention. For example, the East End Chamber of Commerce has established a Crime Awareness Committee that meets with the community and local law enforcement officers monthly. There is a similar meeting in the Brays Oak area and many other neighborhoods are initiating such efforts. In areas where the community had become actively engaged, there has been even greater improvement. Also, there have been renewed efforts by other private groups such as Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Foundation.
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Houston still compares unfavorably to most other major U.S. cities. Crime has been steadily declining nationally and at faster rate than we have seen in Houston. And we are still confronted on a daily basis with horrendous and senseless crimes such as the recent ambush murder of HPD Office Tim Abernethy. We and HPD must redouble our efforts and capitalize on the current trends and not allow this progress to be lost. Please consider helping one of the organizations below. You can make a difference.
* Some critics of the HPD have asserted that the reports HPD files with the FBI systematically understate the actual number of crimes committed. There is little from the face of the reports that sheds any light on the accuracy of the statistics. For the purposes of this analysis, I am accepting the reports at face value.
