Thread: Report:Maricopa Co. Crime Rate Down 18% in Past 5 Years

August 13, 2009 |

Report: County crime rate down 18% in past 5 years

by Amy B Wang - Aug. 13, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Crime rates in Maricopa County have seen a significant decrease over the past five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the County Attorney's Office.

The overall crime rate per 100,000 people in the county decreased 18 percent from 2004 to 2008. During the same period, the violent-crime rate dropped 8 percent and the property-crime rate fell by 21 percent.

The decline occurred even though the county's population grew by nearly 11 percent over that time.

The trend isn't new. FBI statistics from June show major cities in the metro area saw a drop in violent-crime rates for three consecutive years. Large cities across the United States also are experiencing drops in crime.

County Attorney Andrew Thomas linked the decrease to greater collaboration among law-enforcement agencies and toughened prosecution policies.From 2004 to 2008, the number of criminals in Maricopa County sent to the Department of Corrections increased 29.3 percent.

"The lesson is obvious," Thomas said. "More time, less crime."

Thomas also attributed the lower crime rates to a 30 percent decrease in illegal immigration over the same period, citing recent figures by the Center for Immigration Studies.

Thomas did not offer specific evidence showing the illegal-immigrant population decrease is linked to the decrease in crime.

James Holmes, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department, hesitated to link the decrease in crime rates with a decline in illegal immigration.

"You can't put a finger on that," Holmes said. "You can't say that one is a cause of the other."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... n0813.html

THANK YOU, SHERIFF JOE!!!!!!!!!!