http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/spd-s-latest-safety-report-overall-decrease-crime-stolen-vehicles-rise_78171.mp3
The Springfield Police Department has released its Quarterly Public Safety Report for the last three months of 2013. These quarterly reports help give some perspective to whether Springfield’s crime rates are going up or down—and which crimes are seeing more activity. As KSMU’s Jennifer Davidson reports, the last quarter of 2013 saw an overall decrease in crime by two percent.
The report compares the number of crimes that occurred October through December in 2013 to that same time period the previous year.
Burglary and larceny were each down, but the number of stolen vehicles went up slightly compared to the same time frame the previous year. The police department says at least 75 of those stolen vehicles had the keys left inside.
There was a spike in rape: from 28 rapes in the last three months of 2012 up to 71 in the last three months of 2013. However, the SPD points out that this spike is likely caused by the Department of Justice’s new definition of rape, which includes oral and anal penetration, as well as the rape of males.
Homicide went down, from 5 to 3, and aggravated assault rose by 63 assaults.
See our earlier reporting on the overall crime in 2013 here.
Police Chief Paul Williams has made it a priority to publish the quarterly reports. In them, you can see these statistics, as well as the SPD’s tips for the community to help preventing crimes from happening in the first place.
For that information, you can visit www.springfieldmo.gov/spd, or you can call 874-2113.
For KSMU News, I’m Jennifer Davidson.