Signs of progress on crime
By NewsPress Now
Once upon a time, St. Joseph counted itself as a safe city. It wasn’t as exciting or glamorous as a large metropolitan area, but St. Joseph could always boast a low crime rate and a quality of life that made it a good place to raise a family.
That sense of safety eroded over the years. As drugs and crime found their way into every corner of the country, St. Joseph proved to be no exception. In hindsight, maybe it was naive to believe that our city would remain an insulated bubble where you leave the doors unlocked and children return home when the streetlights turn on.
That doesn’t happen anymore, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept increases in significant crimes like vehicle thefts and aggravated assaults or even petty aggravations like motorists driving with expired tags. The statistics can be dispiriting, but a recent report from the St. Joseph Police Department provides some encouragement.
Chief Paul Luster released 2023 crime statistics that showed a 14% decrease in Part I crimes, those serious offenses that include murders, aggravated assaults, robberies and motor vehicle thefts. Crime statistics on the SJPD website show 44 rapes, 55 robberies, 295 aggravated assaults, 389 burglaries, 1,860 thefts and 423 motor vehicle thefts.
It’s hard to get too excited about “only” 295 aggravated assaults, compared to 335 the previous year, or motor vehicle thefts that are roughly on par with 421 in 2022 and 424 in 2021. There’s still work to do, but last year’s crime statistics show that new leadership and voter support for increased police salaries could make a real impact on crime. The police also have taken a more proactive stance on expired tags, something that to the law-abiding public provides a much-needed sense of fairness.
Whether all this eventually translates into a sense of safety is another thing. Consider the different ways people react to public safety news on the scanner or social media.
When fire ripped through a St. Joseph apartment complex last month, some occupants jumped from second-story windows in a desperate attempt to escape. This scene, while dramatic and heartbreaking, doesn’t necessarily make the average person live in fear of a major fire.
There’s a sense that reasonable precautions – functional smoke detectors, good wiring and no smoking in bed – will keep you from ever having to make a two-story plunge to safety.
Crime, in particular violent crime, is different. When a violent assault occurs across town or a friend’s vehicle is stolen, even strangers will feel a sense of unease and start looking over their shoulders. Statistics, no matter what they show, are unlikely to change that.
