THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504280185
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
The results of the FBI's latest statistics on crime are mixed.
The figures for Hampton Roads show that violent crime in the region declined in 1994. The regional rate fell by 2.4 percent, representing slightly fewer violent crimes than in 1993.
But the news in Chesapeake isn't as good. Violent crime in the city, which includes murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, were up last year according to the FBI. The figures showed an increase of 5 percent between 1993 and 1994.
The city also experienced a 33 percent increase in motor vehicle theft and a 14 percent increase in larceny.
``We did have a large increase in auto thefts and people breaking into cars and stealing property,'' said Capt. Louis Tayon of the Police Department. Tayon said the increase is no big surprise to the department.
``We know our crime is going up a little bit,'' said Tayon. ``As the city grows, crime is going to increase.''
Part of the violent crime increase can be explained by the area's population growth. Chesapeake's population increased by slightly more than 4 percent between 1993 and 1994, almost identical to the city's increase in violent crime.
The city's crime rate is still relatively low considering the area's population, said Tayon. And the figures appear to back up that claim. The number of violent crimes committed per 100,000 people in Chesapeake is still far lower than that in Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk. Only Hampton and Virginia Beach have lower rates.
And although some crimes are on the rise, the police department saw 57 fewer cases of breaking and entering last year, according to the department's 1994 annual report. What's more, many offenses, including robbery, assault, breaking and entering and motor vehicle theft, are down from 1992 highs.
``I wish we could figure out the rhyme or reason of the figures,'' said Tayon, ``but nobody really knows why the figures are like they are.''
The city might be growing, but the police department appears to be staying on top of the situation. Although the city hasn't added many officers to the payroll, the percentage of solved homicide, rape and assault cases is fairly high.
``When you have face-to-face confrontations, it's easier to identify suspects,'' Tayon said. ``The solve rate for those crimes is always higher than non-violent crimes because you usually have somebody that knows the suspect or can give you a description.''
But Tayon added that residents are partly responsible for keeping the crime rate from rising.
``You can have the best police department in the world, but you'll still need the community to support you and help out, he said.'' ILLUSTRATION: CRIME STATISTICS
1992
Criminal homicide - 9
Forcible rape - 60
Robbery - 340
Assault - 448
Breaking and entering - 1,766
Larceny-theft - 5,496
Motor vehicle theft - 755
1993
Criminal homicide - 13
Forcible rape - 61
Robbery - 327
Assault - 385
Breaking and entering - 1,612
Larceny-theft - 4,958
Motor vehicle theft - 490
1994
Criminal homicide - 19 (94.74 percent solved; 10.38 per 100,000
population)
Forcible rape - 63 (76.19 percent solved; 34.43 per 100,000
population)
Robbery - 332 (25.60 percent solved; 181.42 per 100,000
population)
Assault - 410 (78.29 percent solved; 224.04 per 100,000
population)
Breaking and entering - 1,555 (19.29 percent solved; 849.73 per
100,000 population)
Larceny-theft - 5,685 (24.56 percent solved; 3,106.56 per 100,000
population)
Motor vehicle theft - 652 (37.88 percent solved; 356.28 per
100,000 population)
Source: 1994 Annual Report, Chesapeake Police Department
KEYWORDS: STATISTICS CRIME RATE by CNB