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Capital-Gazette
2 takes on Group's perception more dire than city's By SCOTT
DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer Published October 14, 2007 A record seven people were killed last year in There were 223 robberies, at least a 16-year high. And
high-profile crimes in Eastport this summer along with a string of new
homicides have citizens complaining that criminals are running rampant. Through
it all, city officials have said things aren't that bad. "Real
crime statistics are down," Ray Weaver, a city spokesman, said last week.
"Although it has been popular in our culture to say the opposite,
perception is not reality and the facts are there to dispute these
claims." But a
new community group formed by the former chairman city's housing authority
doesn't buy the city's take on the statistics. Trudy
McFall established Citizens for a Better Annapolis earlier this year, and with
the help of Dennis M. Conti, the former head of the housing authority and founder
of the Clay Street Public Safety Team, the group set about researching the
crime data for themselves. They
released a report late last month. "There
is a perception that there is more drug activity and robberies, ... and we're
finding interesting data to support that," said Ms. McFall, a possible
mayoral candidate in 2009. "We
thought it important to expose some of the details behind the broad
numbers," added Dr. Conti, who has a doctorate in computer science. And
now, with their new report in hand, the group is presenting their take on the
data at community meetings in the city. The
report, authored by Dr. Conti, is not receiving a warm welcome at City Hall. Police
Chief Joseph S. Johnson called the report "crap" and
"trash" and said Ms. McFall and Dr. Conti have "no
credibility." "It's
politics," he said, questioning the motives of Citizens for a Better
Annapolis and Ms. McFall. "They don't have a clue about those
numbers." Ms.
McFall said she just wants the city to look to the future. "I
think it's more about policy than politics," she said. The
numbers The
robbery rate was four times the national average and the murder rate was three
times, he said. "What's
the reason for that?" Dr. Conti said, fearing a trend since the city has
had six homicides in the first nine months of 2007. Dr.
Conti also found that from 2001 to 2006, the number of homicides committed
inside the city increased 75 percent, robberies increased 45 percent and rapes
increased 18 percent. While
not included in Dr. Conti's report, overall crime remained relatively unchanged
between 2001 and 2006, according to city statistics. What
the numbers show is open to debate. Even experts who reviewed the city's
statistics and the Citizens for a Better Annapolis report for The Capital can't
agree. Dr. Ray
Paternoster, a "Do
you want to look short term or do you want to look long term," he said. City
crime did go up between 2005 and 2006 and the city did post some record numbers
last year, he said. But
given the statistics for the first half of 2007, Dr. Paternoster said 2006
seemed to be more of an anomaly than the beginning of a trend. He added that
it's common for crime number to fluctuate up and down from year to year and
that "If
there is any trend, it is downward," Dr. Paternoster said. Orde
Kittrie, a visiting associate professor at the University of Maryland School of
Law who teaches classes on state crime trends, said the city's crime rate is
still too high. "The
slight drop from 2006 to 2007 is nice, but what's more important is the
baseline is so much higher than the national average," he said. "If I
lived in Mr.
Kittrie said most jurisdictions have seen increases in violent crime the past
couple years, but said " Ms.
McFall said the city should take a real look at the numbers. "It's
a factual document based on facts. The city's own data, analyzed," added
Ms. McFall, welcoming more analysis. That
said, the report uses few real numbers. Instead,
Dr. Conti relied on percentages and comparisons to national averages and past
years to illustrate how crime is going up. For example, the report shows that
the city's murder rate was more than three times the national average in 2006,
but it does not show the city had seven murders that year or that one murder
more or less would result in a double-digit swing in percentages. Dr.
Conti said he didn't use whole numbers so he could better show how current "This
isn't a technique I've made up," he said, defending his methodology and
final report. Dr.
Paternoster said percentage comparisons are acceptable, but said Dr. Conti
should have included some of the base numbers so people understand what the
percentages mean. Overall
crime in 2006 was down 18 percent from a 1996 high of 2,955, but up 15 percent
from a 2005 low of 2,097. Dr.
Conti said crime appeared to be going down in recent years because reports of
thefts were relatively down. Since thefts represent about half of all reported
crimes, a drop in thefts can mask increases in more violent crimes like murder
and robbery, he said. Ms.
McFall added that FBI crime statistics don't capture the real picture of what
is happening in the streets, since there is no category for shots fired or drug
activity. "Those
aren't even in the picture," she said. After
comparing calls for service from the first six months of 2006 to calls for
service from the first six months of 2007, he found more people were calling
police about quality of life problems this year. He found a more than 100
percent increase in calls about alcohol violations, an almost 40 percent
increase in shots fired, and a more than 15 percent increase in drug activity. "That
goes to citizens' perception," Dr. Conti said. Public
housing, crime Dr.
Conti also used the report to address the relationship between the city's crime
and the city's public housing. He mapped out where all major crimes occurred in
Ms.
McFall said it was "dead wrong" to say residents of the city's public
housing communities were responsible for most of the crime in the city. She
said legal housing authority residents represent only 5 percent of the city's
arrests, but represent 6.1 percent of the city's population. Mr.
Weaver said Dr. Conti's reasoning is flawed. "Of
course crime is down there (in the housing communities). The crooks leave
there, go rob somebody, sell drugs and go back," he said. And
while legal housing authority residents don't make up that many of the city's
arrests, he argued those legal residents know a lot of criminals. "If
a dealer or a crook has a Glen Burnie or Crime
fighting plans Despite
her contention the crime numbers are not that bad, Ms. Moyer announced a
multi-point crime plan in August to address the perceived fears. She
called for: The
department to change the number of shifts officers work from five to three. The
department to purchase of four additional Segways. The
department to purchase of a new horse for a mounted unit. The
General Assembly to designating the entire city a drug-free zone. The
city to identify and install better lighting in dark places. Chief
Johnson to form a special police recruitment committee to help fill 23 open
officer positions. Ms.
McFall said the answer isn't in new equipment or laws though - it's more feet
on the street. She wants the department to try community policing and get
officers in neighborhoods and in stores. "Why
not start some pilot (programs) and see what happens," she said.
"Let's try some community policing ... and see what results we get." Chief
Johnson said there is no need for a pilot community policing program - his
officers have been doing that "forever." "Each
and every officer is trained in community-based policing," he said,
explaining they know that a "shooting doesn't just happen." He said
officers are always supposed to get to know their beats and learn what is
happening and what they can do to stop crime before it occurs. Staffing
shortages, however, limit how often his officers can get out of their cars and
actually walk through a neighborhood. He said
what Ms. McFalls wants can only happen in an "ideal situation." "We
don't have those conditions," he said, explaining the department is down
23 officers. "I don't foresee foot patrols in every neighborhood."
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