THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110460
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 202 lines
Major crime in Norfolk fell 10.5 percent in 1994, marking the largest one-year reduction in 22 years and the fourth consecutive year that criminal activity has dropped, police said Tuesday.
Police Chief Melvin C. High credited the combined efforts of citizens and officers in Norfolk's widespread community-policing programs.
``I believe in participation and challenge . . .,'' High said. ``We want to allow people to take part and become involved.''
Nearly 20,000 felonies were reported last year, down about 2,300 from 1993 and 4,700 from 1991.
There were fewer reports of seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Only arson increased, showing a 4.4 percent jump over 1993.
The biggest one-year decreases were in rape, down 23 percent with 157 cases, and auto theft, down 16.7 percent with 1,810 cases.
High said there are fewer rapes because women are more likely to prosecute when they are assaulted. Auto thefts decreased because the industry is designing cars that are harder to steal, he said.
But murder - often considered the best measure of urban violence - dropped only one from the 62 reported in 1993.
Of homicides and arson, High said, ``We still have a great challenge ahead of us in those areas, but we're still making strides.''
Willie Barnes, president-elect of the Norfolk Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coalition, said the group wants to continue organizing programs that monitor suspicious activity in neighborhoods.
``Block prevention is alive and well in the city of Norfolk,'' Barnes said. ``We plan on making sure residents understand the needs . . . of the community.''
Barnes said his neighborhood of Middletown Arch near Norfolk State University, where overall crime dropped between 1993 and 1994, is an example of a successful community-policing area.
``We organized to make sure crime in adjacent neighborhoods didn't spill over,'' Barnes said.
In some neighborhoods in Norfolk, the news seems even better. Reports of burglaries and robberies, some of the most common serious crimes, have declined more in neighborhoods such as Park Place, Brambleton/Norfolk State University and Lafayette/Winona than in the city as a whole.
Reports of those crimes also dropped significantly in the Central Business District, based on a review of computerized police reports for 1993 and 1994.
Some of those neighborhoods, such as Park Place and Lafayette/Winona, have especially active community-policing programs.
The news isn't as good for other neighborhoods, such as Larchmont/ Edgewater and some sections of Ocean View, which have continued to see increases in robberies and burglaries, according to the computer incident information.
Barnes said the coalition will try to help more neighborhoods in 1995.
``One of our initiatives is to try to set up block security in Park Place and in public housing,'' Barnes said. ``These are two of the biggest areas.''
High said he could not single out neighborhoods that had the largest increases or decreases for the year.
``I see success in all of our neighborhoods,'' High said. ``They all are different.''
One other city in Hampton Roads released its year-end crime statistics on Tuesday. Hampton reported an overall 12 percent drop in seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft.
High said Norfolk police will continue to fine-tune community-policing and is looking into ways to keep the numbers down this year.
``Personal crimes will be the strongest focus,'' High said. ``We want to increase efforts in all these areas that prevent citizens from feeling safe.''
NORFOLK - Major crime in Norfolk fell 10.5 percent in 1994, marking the largest one-year reduction in 22 years and the fourth consecutive year that criminal activity has dropped, police said Tuesday.
Police Chief Melvin C. High credited the combined efforts of citizens and officers in Norfolk's widespread community-policing programs.
``I believe in participation and challenge . . .,'' High said. ``We want to allow people to take part and become involved.''
Nearly 20,000 felonies were reported last year, down about 2,300 from 1993 and 4,700 from 1991.
There were fewer reports of seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Only arson increased, showing a 4.4 percent jump over 1993.
The biggest one-year decreases were in rape, down 23 percent with 157 cases, and auto theft, down 16.7 percent with 1,810 cases.
High said there are fewer rapes because women are more likely to prosecute when they are assaulted. Auto thefts decreased because the industry is designing cars that are harder to steal, he said.
But murder - often considered the best measure of urban violence- dropped only one from the 62 reported in 1993.
Of homicides and arson, High said, ``We still have a great challenge ahead of us in those areas, but we're still making strides.''
Willie Barnes, president-elect of the Norfolk Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coalition, said the group wants to continue organizing programs that monitor suspicious activity in neighborhoods.
``Block prevention is alive and well in the city of Norfolk,'' Barnes said. ``We plan on making sure residents understand the needs . . . of the community.''
Barnes said his neighborhood of Middletown Arch near Norfolk State University, where overall crime dropped between 1993 and 1994, is an example of a successful community-policing area.
``We organized to make sure crime in adjacent neighborhoods didn't spill over,'' Barnes said.
In some neighborhoods in Norfolk, the news seems even better. Reports of burglaries and robberies, some of the most common serious crimes, have declined more in neighborhoods such as Park Place, Brambleton/Norfolk State University and Lafayette/Winona than in the city as a whole.
Reports of those crimes also dropped significantly in the Central Business District, based on a review of computerized police reports for 1993 and 1994.
Some of those neighborhoods, such as Park Place and Lafayette/Winona, have especially active community-policing programs.
The news isn't as good for other neighborhoods, such as Larchmont/ Edgewater and some sections of Ocean View, which have continued to see increases in robberies and burglaries, according to the computer incident information.
Barnes said the coalition will try to help more neighborhoods in 1995.
``One of our initiatives is to try to set up block security in Park Place and in public housing,'' Barnes said. ``These are two of the biggest areas.''
High said he could not single out neighborhoods that had the largest increases or decreases for the year.
``I see success in all of our neighborhoods,'' High said. ``They all are different.''
One other city in Hampton Roads released its year-end crime statistics on Tuesday. Hampton reported an overall 12 percent drop in seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft.
High said Norfolk police will continue to fine-tune community-policing and is looking into ways to keep the numbers down this year.
``Personal crimes will be the strongest focus,'' High said. ``We want to increase efforts in all these areas that prevent citizens from feeling safe.''
NORFOLK - Major crime in Norfolk fell 10.5 percent in 1994, marking the largest one-year reduction in 22 years and the fourth consecutive year that criminal activity has dropped, police said Tuesday.
Police Chief Melvin C. High credited the combined efforts of citizens and officers in Norfolk's widespread community-policing programs.
``I believe in participation and challenge . . .,'' High said. ``We want to allow people to take part and become involved.''
Nearly 20,000 felonies were reported last year, down about 2,300 from 1993 and 4,700 from 1991.
There were fewer reports of seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Only arson increased, showing a 4.4 percent jump over 1993.
The biggest one-year decreases were in rape, down 23 percent with 157 cases, and auto theft, down 16.7 percent with 1,810 cases.
High said there are fewer rapes because women are more likely to prosecute when they are assaulted. Auto thefts decreased because the industry is designing cars that are harder to steal, he said.
But murder - often considered the best measure of urban violence- dropped only one from the 62 reported in 1993.
Of homicides and arson, High said, ``We still have a great challenge ahead of us in those areas, but we're still making strides.''
Willie Barnes, president-elect of the Norfolk Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coalition, said the group wants to continue organizing programs that monitor suspicious activity in neighborhoods.
``Block prevention is alive and well in the city of Norfolk,'' Barnes said.
``We plan on making sure residents understand the needs . . . of the community.''
Barnes said his neighborhood of Middle Towne Arch near Norfolk State University, where overall crime dropped between 1993 and 1994, is an example of a successful community-policing area.
``We organized to make sure crime in adjacent neighborhoods didn't spill over,'' Barnes said.
In some neighborhoods in Norfolk, the news seems even better. Reports of burglaries and robberies, some of the most common serious crimes, have declined more in neighborhoods such as Park Place, Brambleton/Norfolk State University and Lafayette/Winona than in the city as a whole.
Reports of those crimes also dropped significantly in the Central Business District, based on a review of computerized police reports for 1993 and 1994.
Some of those neighborhoods, such as Park Place and Lafayette/Winona, have especially active community-policing programs.
The news isn't as good for other neighborhoods, such as Larchmont/ Edgewater and some sections of Ocean View, which have continued to see increases in robberies and burglaries, according to the computer incident information.
Barnes said the coalition will try to help more neighborhoods in 1995.
``One of our initiatives is to try to set up block security in Park Place and in public housing,'' Barnes said. ``These are two of the biggest areas.''
High said he could not single out neighborhoods that had the largest increases or decreases for the year.
``I see success in all of our neighborhoods,'' High said. ``They all are different.''
One other city in Hampton Roads released its year-end crime statistics on Tuesday. Hampton reported an overall 12 percent drop in seven major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft.
High said Norfolk police will continue to fine-tune community-policing and is looking into ways to keep the numbers down this year.
``Personal crimes will be the strongest focus,'' High said. ``We want to increase efforts in all these areas that prevent citizens from feeling safe.'' MEMO: Staff writer Lise Olsen contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
STAFF
NORFOLK CRIME DROPS
SOURCE: Norfolk Police Department
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: CRIME NORFOLK STATISTICS by CNB