Since I'm one of those folks who lives in a comparatively safe neighborhood, I've been perusing the city crime statistics lately as well.
One of the things I found helpful was to read the "Understanding Crime Statistics" page on the city web site - http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/crimealert/crimestat.asp It points out some of the problems with just looking at raw numbers that Jim Graham and others have touched on. Another thing that's important to note is whether you're looking at CODEFOR or UCR, you're only seeing statistics for SOME crimes. I've heard folks argue that the statistics are misleading, but I don't think that's a fair statement. I do think, however, that people need to be aware of just what it is they're looking at. For example, the CODEFOR statistics track homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larceny thefts, motor vehicle thefts and arson. These are known as "Part I" crimes by the FBI. According to the MPD, they were chosen as indicators of criminality because of their volume, their seriousness and they are highly likely to be reported. Crimes involving drugs, prostitution and gambling are considered "Part II" offenses and are considered to be indicators of proactive enforcement action rather than criminality. Other "Part II" crimes include things like vandalism, DUIs, disorderly conduct, etc. Anyone interested in the details should check out the MPD's web page on UCR: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/police/stats/ucr/index.asp Regardless, as someone who does statistical analysis on a regular basis, I know that sometimes you just have to draw the best conclusions from what data you have. As Jim Mork pointed out, crime in Minneapolis has been declining in recent years - at least that's what the numbers say. However, as Jim Graham points out, that's little solace to those who are bearing the brunt of what criminal activities are still taking place. So another way of looking at the crime statistics would be why certain neighborhoods seem to be attracting more than their "fair share" of crimes - which is what I think Jim Graham means when he rants about "Equal Protection" from time to time. For example, using the 2001 CODEFOR year-end report, you can see that roughly a third of the 276 rapes reported in Minneapolis that year took place in four neighborhoods - Hawthorne, Jordan, Ventura Village and Whittier, with each having between 20-25 occurrences. Would anyone care to suggest a theory as to why that might be the case? One apparent victim of our cuts to MPD may well be our ability to even look at this kind of data. I noticed that even with the month of May now coming to a close, the most recent CODEFOR report is for February and the most recent UCR report is for March. Does anyone know if these reports are no longer being generated on a monthly basis or are they just not making it onto the web site? Mark Snyder Windom Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
