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Opinion: Violent crime decreasing in SLT

Published: March 1, 2015  By: admin, In: Voices,  1 Comment
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By Brian Uhler

Police officials recently completed the official Uniform Crime Report for 2014. Overall, violent and property crimes are down.

Brian Uhler

Brian Uhler

Here are some details comparing 2013 and 2014 in the South Lake Tahoe Police Department:

Violent Crime                                                   2013                  2014      

Homicide                                                      3                          0

Forcible Rape                                              8                          14

Robbery                                                     16                         21

Aggravated Assault                                    89                        77

Violent Crime Total                                  116                      112        Down 3.4 percent

Property Crime

Burglary                                                  171                        147

Larceny                                                    368                      332

Motor Vehicle Theft                                  46                         37

 Property Crime Total                            585                   516       Down 11.8 percent

During 2014, the police department focused attention on habitual, repeat offenders and drug related crime.

This work included:

  • Felony drug arrests               67
  • Illegal marijuana grows        24
  • Habitual offender arrests     56

These efforts appear to have had a positive influence on crime; however, it is important to recognize that crime rates are heavily influenced by many factors such as overall economy, demographic change and more.

So, why are crime rates important? Crime rates are always considered an important factor for publications like, “best places rated” (to live, visit, retire, etc). When crime is a problem, community attractiveness suffers.  While this is a critical factor for South Lake Tahoe as a tourist destination, crime rates are important for all of us to feel secure. High crime rates affect things like insurance costs and can have a devastating effect on the overall economy.

I am hopeful that next year we will see a continuing downward turn in crime.  The effects of Proposition 47 (e.g. lowering crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and letting criminals out of prisons) may make this prospect difficult.  Given this challenge, your police department has plans to focus resources to counteract these negative effects.

Brian Uhler is the South Lake Tahoe chief of police. 

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Comments

Comments (1)
  1. Isee says - Posted: March 2, 2015

    If we are serious about crime, we should be doing something about all the Under-the-table, cash paid labor that goes on unimpeded here. When people become unemployed, they can’t collect and then they are out in the community with no support system and crime happens. Take the money that’s used to go after pot grows and go after employers who refuse to play by the rules and give a person a paycheck.