Through the first half of 2007, Part I (serious) crimes in West Chester have decreased 6.5 percent, while Part II (non-serious) crimes have jumped 11.3 percent when compared to the first six months of last year, according to figures posted on the PSP Uniform Crime Report web site. These figures include both West Chester and East Bradford.
In the first 6 months of 2007, a total of 261 Part I offenses were reported to WCPD, compared to 279 through the first 6 months of 2006. (NOTE: All figures are for the period between January and June. The data is based on the number of what is defined as "actual offenses" as opposed to the number of "offenses known" to have been reported to police.)
The number of robberies have remained at similar levels - 18 this year compared to 17 last year. Nine of the robberies were reported by point of firearm, knife, or other weapon, while the remaining 9 were strong arm robberies (with no weapon used, displayed, or implied).
The number of serious or aggravated assaults have increased from 23 last year to 28 this year - 2 of the assaults were by point of firearm, 5 by point of knife, and 6 by point of other weapon. On the flip side, 118 non-aggravated/simple assaults were reported to police, an 11.3 percent increase from the same time frame last year (106).
The number of burglaries have remained stable this year - 42 this year compared to 41 last year. However, there have been 3 more forcible entry burglaries compared to last year (20 to 17). The number of larcenies/thefts decreased 8.4 percent - 152 this year compared to 166 last year. The number of motor vehicle thefts have also decreased this year, a total of 17 in 2007 compared to 24 last year. Interestingly enough, the number of forgery cases have decreased in half (9 this year, 18 last year) with the number of fraud cases increasing nearly 30 percent (22 to 17).
Vandalism complaints have decreased 8.4 percent (239 this year, 261 last year).
On the drug war front, a total of 21 Possession With Intent to Deliver cases have been filed so far this year - 16 for cocaine, 3 for marijuana, and 2 for other controlled substances. The figures are down from 25 such cases last year, of which 19 of those cases were for sales of cocaine. The number of simple drug possession charges, however, have skyrocketed nearly a quarter-fold. Last year 44 arrests for simple possession were made (17 each for cocaine and marijuana, 10 for other substances or paraphanalia); this year, 58 arrests have been made this year (18 for cocaine, 20 for marijuana, 2 for other synthetic substances, and 18 for other substances or paraphanalia). The pushers seem to be either fleeing West Chester or doing a better job of lurking in the shadows while the users seem to be popping up out of the woodwork.
In the first six months of this year, the number of DUI arrests have decrased 6.9 percent; this year, 95 arrests have been made, compared to 102 arrests last year. Later in this post, I'll have more comments on this particular topic.
As if it were a shock to very few people, the number of liquor law, public drunkeness, and disorderly conduct cases have significantly increased, with these three categories seeing the largest increases in arrests (other than drug offenses and fraud). The number of liquor law arrests (mostly underage drinking) has increased 27.5 percent, from 109 to 139. Disorderly conduct arrests have also increased from 109 last year to 124 this year - a 13.8 percent increase.
But the mother of all increases appears to be the number of public drunkeness cases that were made over the first six months of this year. In 2006, 159 citations were issued for public drunkeness; this year, 277 such arrests have been made. That's a whopping 74.2 percent rise in the number of people being charged with this offense. This is partially responsible for the 7.8 percent increase overall crime in the Borough of West Chester and East Bradford Township (1,425 last year compared to 1,536 this year). The difference in the number of PD arrests (118) in fact exceed the increase in the overall count (111).
In short, West Chester isn't as violent as other places which shall remain nameless (Coatesville, Norristown, Darby, Pottstown - oh, did I say that out loud?), however the big issue really does seem to be the alarming increase in the number of people being charged with public drunkeness.
Having said that, Barnaby's is the only new restaurant opening in the borough within the past six months that presently has a full liquor license, with Landmark Americana at Gay and Darlington Streets slated to open within the next few months. The buzz that I'm hearing from some in the know is that Barnaby's is taking a lot of business away from the other bars in the center of town, the most notable ones being 15 North and Kildare's. (Disclosure: I happen to spend my Monday nights at Barnaby's, so in a way, the last statement may not exactly be too impartial; that said, I have heard from others about this, so I feel comfortable mentioning it.)
There have even been rumors about what the future will hold for 15 North and another infamous restaurant, Coyote Crossing. A few months ago, there had been a few rumors that Coyote - which was where a large fight broke out in January, leading to 6 arrests - may also be considering scaling back or even closing, though nothing seems to have come out of it thus far.
Meanwhile, on the DUI front, there seems to be no explaination as to why the number of arrests have decreased from this year to last year. It's possible that people are becoming a lot more conscious about DUI and the serious penalties that were passed by the legislature in 2003. That said, the number of DUI cases filed in District Courts as of Sunday by WCPD now total 116 (this figure includes DUI arrests made in July whereas the PSP data does not). 48 of these cases have been filed at 15-1-01, 61 cases at 15-1-04, and 7 cases in 15-2-06 (for East Bradford). P/O Jeff Gallo has made 12 DUI arrests so far, with P/O Rey Melendez making 11 of his own. (SIDE NOTE: P/O Michael Heidelbaugh, presently recovering from an injury and expected to be back on duty later this year, had made 5 DUI arrests of his own within the first month before going on injury leave. Maybe that's why the DUI counts have gone down.)
Or, perhaps they're just getting caught in other townships - such as West Goshen, where DUI arrests have jumped from 44 in the first half of last year to 62 in the first half of this year - that's 40.9 percent for those scoring at home. Sgt. William Camlin and P/O Mike Cotter have each arrested 11 drunk drivers this year. Birmingham Township police have made 28 arrests during the first half of this year, 4 more than the same time period last year. Even WCU Police have jumped on the DUI enforcement bandwagon, with 8 arrests made (3 cases filed in 15-1-01, 2 cases each in 15-1-04 and 15-2-06, and 1 case in 15-2-03).
Still, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out as far as crime figures go. We'll revisit the crime stats in about three months and see where everything is...
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