This is Classic and Sad to me anyways

Linda in NY · 11-16-2006, 11:07 PM

The Mayor of the city which I live in a suburb of says it's the police unions fault for the high crime rate in that city. I used to live in the city and its a disaster area, vacant buildings everywhere, shootings and stabbings everyday. Businesses leaving by the droves, drug problems, etc.

Statistics just came out and Nationally Rochester NY was I believe in the top 20 of the stats for terrible crime rates in the "Entire" Country ! The city has a higher per capita homicide rate than New York City. I think they just had 6 or 7 Homicides last week alone.

I always thought it was the criminals that were responsible for crime, not the police. Here's a link to the story on the news.

News Story From Rochester NY

Julie · 11-17-2006, 12:21 AM

As of 2004 stats, you're right on par with the big city in my neck of the woods, Cleveland. Except I think we have more of most things on the charts...

Can't find the latest stats. But I think I remember hearing something about what you're saying. I know we didn't fare too well this last year either. Sucks. They don't have enough police force in Cleveland at all (due to budget constraints, debt, and cutbacks), but I wouldn't blame the crimes on the police. It's still the criminals choosing to commit a crime.

Latest 2004 Crimes per 100,000 People:
Rochester, NY Cleveland, OH National

Murder: 16.7 16.9 5.5
Forcible Rape: 42.23 112.49 32.2
Robbery: 433.4 711.5 136.7
Aggravated Assault: 334.6 453.4 291.1
Burglary: 1262.6 1756.6 729.9
Larceny Theft: 4431.9 2829.6 2365.9
Vehicle Theft: 1478.4 1256.4 421.3

Actual Reported Population and Crimes:
Rochester, NY Cleveland, OH
Population: 215,507 462,260
Murder: 36 78
Forcible Rape: 91 520
Robbery: 934 3289
Aggravated Assault: 721 2096
Burglary: 2721 8120
Larceny Theft: 9551 13080
Vehicle Theft: 3186 5808

**Cricket** · 11-17-2006, 12:22 AM

Yup! Now I remember one of the reasons I love living in the sticks.

Julie · 11-17-2006, 12:25 AM

I used to work in the zip code with the most highly concentrated area of sex offenders in the county, maybe even the whole state I think it was. Scary stuff. The cops used my car in the parking lot one day 2 years ago to hide behind with their guns aimed at some home. They were trying to catch a murderer/drug dealer. They got him and slammed him to the ground right in front of the front door of my work building. I transfered to a slightly better neighborhood branch about a year later, thank goodness. People were getting killed left and right over there, prostitutes everywhere, etc. Its sad. That used to be a very nice part of the city...til all the steel mills and stuff went belly up. Now its like the most unemployed part of the city...its gotta be over 50% without jobs.

RobS · 11-17-2006, 12:36 AM

Couldn't live where crime was that bad....

Linda in NY · 11-17-2006, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobS

Couldn't live where crime was that bad....

I hear ya Rob !!

Its gotten kind of scary, before I moved here to a rural area, the police once caught a suspect under the car in the driveway next to my side door, the house was broken into once, a window was broken out another time, murders around the corner.

I used to work midnights dispatching the police and driving to work one night, I passed officers surrounding a building with shotguns drawn, my only thought was don't anyone shoot until I'm past the area. My luck I'd get hit with a stray bullet just trying to drive to work.

But now thank goodness I live in a town that was just ranked in the top 10 for safest places in the United States, its Greece NY, Yes, I'm proud of that !! And we have two retired police officers as neighbors which makes me feel better.

And my husband still works at 911 and that helps because he knows whats always going around in the areas. And since I worked there for 10 yrs I know alot of officers also, but many I know just retired in the last 5 yrs darn it !

Linda in NY · 11-17-2006, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie

I used to work in the zip code with the most highly concentrated area of sex offenders in the county, maybe even the whole state I think it was. Scary stuff. The cops used my car in the parking lot one day 2 years ago to hide behind with their guns aimed at some home. They were trying to catch a murderer/drug dealer. They got him and slammed him to the ground right in front of the front door of my work building. I transfered to a slightly better neighborhood branch about a year later, thank goodness. People were getting killed left and right over there, prostitutes everywhere, etc. Its sad. That used to be a very nice part of the city...til all the steel mills and stuff went belly up. Now its like the most unemployed part of the city...its gotta be over 50% without jobs.

I am starting to think its just plain getting bad in any city of any substantial size here in this country. Must be why alot of people are moving to the suburbs or further to the sticks !!