INC NEWS - FW: Violent crime in city sees four-year high (Herald-Sun)

[Caleb Southern]

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Subject: Violent crime in city sees four-year high (Herald-Sun)

Violent crime in city sees four-year high

By Ray Gronberg : The Herald-Sun
gronberg at heraldsun.com
Oct 16, 2006 : 11:24 pm ET

DURHAM -- Violent crime in Durham reached a four-year peak in the first half
of 2006, despite a sharp reduction in the number of homicides, Police Chief
Steve Chalmers told the City Council Monday night.

The increase over the same period in 2005 was driven by jumps in the number
of rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults, according to numbers provided
by the Durham Police Department. Rapes and assaults were at a four-year
high, and the number of robberies was as high as it's been at any time since
2003.

All told, there were 916 violent crimes in the first half of 2006, compared
to 678 in the same stretch of 2005, a 35 percent increase.

The good news, as far as Chalmers and other officials were concerned, was
that the city's murder rate was down sharply. There were only seven
homicides in the in the first half of the year, compared to 18 the year
before.

Department figures showed that six major North Carolina cities -- Asheville,
Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville and Winston-Salem -- had
higher murder rates than Durham's. But Durham's rate was still the highest
among the Triangle's four main cities, with Raleigh providing the closest
competition.

Council members welcomed the news on homicides, but fretted about the jump
in other types of violent crime.

"The concern is that with the overall 35 percent increase in violent crime,
it's a matter of time before you see that murder rate increasing,"
Councilman Thomas Stith said. "With that level of increase, do we not still
have an environment where our citizens will say, 'I don't feel comfortable,
I don't feel safe?'"

The council was also unhappy to hear that a man arrested in connection with
last year's quadruple homicide on Alpine Road may have committed the crime
only about two weeks after being arrested and charged with a long string of
drug offenses. The suspect, Roderick Vernard Duncan, was out on a $100,000
bond after initially being held in lieu of $500,000.

Members said they'd like to push the General Assembly to enact laws
mandating tougher bond practices in cases that combine drug and firearms
offenses.

Councilmen Howard Clement and Eugene Brown also urged Chalmers to crack down
harder on prostitution, comments that followed a weekend that saw officers
arrest 14 men and women on a variety of soliciting charges.

Clement said he wants police to make shame an element of their strategy.

"I won't be completely happy with the prostitution situation until we see
pictures of the Johns as well as the Jeans in the story," he said.
"Something should be done to publicize the pictures."

***

Regain lost energy to fight violence

The Herald-Sun: Editorial
Oct 18, 2006

Eleven months ago, one of the most horrific acts of violence in Durham
history rocked the Bull City. Four men were found murdered, execution style,
in a townhouse on Alpine Road. It was good news indeed to hear on Tuesday
that an arrest was finally made in the case.

But let's review a little history. The murders capped what was a
particularly bad year in homicides in Durham. The public was also shocked by
brazen shootings on city buses. The moment seemed ripe for action, and Mayor
Bill Bell took center stage with a four-part plan to combat violent crime in
Durham. Many other public officials and committees seemed energized to
combat crime, which harms Durham's reputation as well as its residents.

Perhaps we're not looking in the right places, but it seems to us that the
moment has passed and that the positive energy has dissipated like air out
of a balloon.

It's sad, especially looking at the crime statistics for the first half of
2006. The report shows homicides dipped sharply, down to seven from 18 for
the first six months of 2005. There's no denying that that's great news.

But the other, more troubling, side of the coin is that violent crime in all
other aspects is on the increase. The number of rapes, robberies and
aggravated assaults reached a four-year high, with 916 violent crimes in the
first six months of 2006 as compared to 678 in the same stretch of 2005.

We agree with City Council member Thomas Stith, who fretted that the 35
percent rise in violent crime, if unchecked, would eventually translate into
a higher number of homicides. The rise in violent crime isn't unique to
Durham, it's happening across the country. But just because others also have
crime problems is no reason for Durham to be complacent.

Let's have a resurgence of the crime-fighting energy that we saw during the
first half of 2006. We would love to hear a report from Mayor Bell and
others about what steps have been taken this year to combat crime, and what
remains to be done. Bell's proposals included, but were not limited to,
actions by law enforcement. They also focused on prevention programs such as
mentoring for at-risk youth and drug treatment.

We can all help fight crime in Durham, so let's regain the momentum so that
next year's statistics show violent crime declining.