Over the past three years, the City of Charleston has experienced an overall decrease in incidents of violent crime. That pattern continued in 2011 due to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Police Department, substantial engagement of neighborhood and business partners, cooperation from other City Departments, and the support provided by Mayor Riley and members of City Council.
Incidents of violent crime have dropped dramatically in the past three years and were capped with a 28% reduction in 2010. Overall, violent crime continued this reduction in 2011, which has resulted in a reduction since 2007 of over 50%.
Violent crime continued to experience an overall reduction in 2011 as a result of declines in the area of aggravated assaults with 170 incidents in 2011 compared to 226 in 2010. Most violent crime categories remained consistent between the two reporting periods. There were 11 homicides in the City compared to 10 in 2010. Robberies were generally stable with 159 incidents in 2011and 158 in 2010. Sexual assaults rose slightly with 30 incidents compared to 26 in 2010.
Violent crime will continue to be a priority for the Department in 2012 with an emphasis on robberies and sexual assaults. We have implemented a strategy to increase preventive measures to address these issues by expanding our communication with various business and community groups to target reduction of these specific crimes.
To address robberies, we are actively working with business and community partners to reinforce safety precautions within businesses and neighborhoods to protect staff, customers, and residents by implementing Crime Prevention through Environmental Design techniques such as increased lighting in areas prone to crime, enhancing the use and benefit of existing video imaging systems, and encouraging the rapid reporting of crimes that do occur to increase the likelihood of the quick capture of the offenders. During 2011, there were a number of serial robberies committed by the same individuals which represented over 10 crimes. It is imperative that the police and community work closely together to capture these offenders quickly to prevent repeat offenses.
We continue to be concerned about the number of sexual assaults reported in the City. This serious offense is one of the most difficult for law enforcement to prevent. Of the 30 incidents in 2011, all but two involved known acquaintances. A contributing factor in many of the cases involved alcohol intoxication by either one or both of the parties involved. In some cases involving drugs or alcohol, the lack of clear facts and evidence to either support or disprove the allegation is frustrating for those involved in the offense and detectives investigating the cases. Without clear information to prove or disprove these serious allegations, the incidents remain classified as a sexual assault. Our Victim Advocates will continue to work with local partners to seek ways to address this troubling crime, while patrol officers and detectives work to teach our citizens about how they can avoid risky behavior that can lessen their chances of becoming a victim. We will engage stakeholders throughout the community who are impacted by this crime to develop a comprehensive strategy that can help us implement actions to attack this problem at multiple levels. One element of the initiative will be the expansion of our educational efforts involving young men. We believe that it is important to teach young men about their responsibilities in preventing sexual assault. We believe this is a key to reducing all types of sexual assaults, especially those that occur when either one or both parties are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The City also saw positive results in the property crime area for 2011.
Burglaries, which can be a traumatic experience for citizens because it violates the security of their homes, dropped from 612 in 2010 to 448 in 2011. While the drop alone was important, we contribute this decline in part due to the significant success of the community and police partnership.
Larcenies, which include all thefts regardless of value, also declined during 2011. There were 2956 larcenies in 2011 compared to 3201 in 2010. This is an area where we see great opportunity for assistance from the public. Many of the larcenies continue to occur when items were left unsecure, especially in unlocked vehicles. Therefore, we will continue to solicit the assistance of the public by asking that they not leave valuables in their vehicles in plain sight, secure their vehicles, and be alert for any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. Motor vehicle theft during the year saw an increase when specialty vehicle thefts, including mopeds, golf carts and lawn mowers, are added to the category. There were 267 total offenses in 2011 which included 66 mopeds compared to 241 in 2010 including 28 mopeds. Due to high gas prices and the popularity of mopeds and golf carts the number of thefts involving these devices increased. A common contributor to the theft of these devices was owners leaving the vehicles unsecure. We will continue to aggressively target the theft of these devices throughout 2012 and utilize our Crime Prevention Unit to continue their educational campaign to inform owners about the importance of securing all vehicles to help us prevent thefts.
While 2011 continued the pattern of reductions in many crime categories, there is still much to be done to continue to make our community safer. During 2012, it is imperative that the Department continue to foster its relationship with the community to gain trust, support, and cooperation so that crimes can be prevented before they occur. Our community outreach efforts including activities for children, young adults, and neighborhood organizations will be expanding in 2012. We anticipate the expansion of our Community Action Teams into new areas, the addition of two new Camp Hope locations this summer, and enhanced community dialogue opportunities.
It is also critical for us to continue our push against drug and weapon offenses that have a direct connection to violent and property crimes. This will be accomplished through a number of strategies aimed at interdicting the narcotics trade at all levels. We will increase the number of officers engaging in patrol efforts targeting specific crimes and "Hot Spot" areas that are identified through predictive analysis techniques. We will also continue our partnerships with state and federal agencies to target and prosecute those individuals who are career criminals who continually victimize our community. This strategy will be enhanced during 2012 with the implementation of an information sharing system that will substantially increase the type and amount of information available regarding crimes and criminals. In 2012 the Department will begin the development and implementation of a Real Time Crime Center. The Center will allow for real time analysis and intelligence gathering that will assist patrol officers and detectives as events occur within the City or other locations. This will be beneficial during initial responses to calls for service, investigation of crimes, and situational awareness, which is critical for crime prevention and officer safety.
Our strategies will also include our continuing effort to strengthen the criminal justice system to target those repeat offenders who continue to commit violent crime while out of jail on bond or probation. There are currently several bills pending in the General Assembly that we are working hard to pass that would limit the number of bonds and probation sentences for violent offenders.
While the City has experienced overall crime reduction over the past four years, there is still work to do. By working together with our elected officials, community and business partners, and colleagues to keep the focus on our core mission of enhancing community safety, we will continue to reduce crime and keep Charleston a safe community.
