Crime & Safety

Crimes in City on Slight Decrease

Incidents of malicious mischief have seen a drop in first three months of 2011 over 2010; most other crime categories have remained steady.

Crimes overall in the city of Enumclaw have seen a slight decrease or remained steady during the first three months of 2011 when compared to the same time frame in 2010, according to data provided by Enumclaw police.

Both Part I and Part II crimes were down this year so far. Part I crimes include violent crimes such as homicide, manslaughter, assault, rape and robbery. Part II crimes represent non-violent crimes such as some drug violations, counterfeiting and disorderly conduct.

In 2010, there were already 95 cases of Part I crimes logged by the end of March. This year, there have been 80 in the first quarter of the year. Similarly in 2010, there were 173 Part II crimes reported; this year, there have been 102 cases.

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Of note was a significant decrease in Part II crimes known as malicious mischief. Police Lt. Bob Huebler said these are crimes in which people go out and commit property damage. There were 82 cases of malicious mischief reported by the end of March 2010; at the end of March 2011, there were only 31 cases.

Nonetheless, under the category of 'Other Offenses' that includes juvenile problems and parking complaints, there was a 7 percent increase over the same time last year.

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Crime trends are typically looked at within a five-year window and numbers can go up or down year by year, so it's hard to attribute the perceived overall crime decrease to any one factor. "It's hard to really gauge a consistent line," he said. "It all depends on who's out of jail, who's doing what, who's in town or who's left town."

A lot of crimes are crimes of opportunity or may depend on the time of year, he said. For example, if someone sees a laptop in a car that's left uncovered and out in the open, it invites a theft. Nonetheless, "the citizens in Enumclaw are actually pretty good about it," he said. "They take appropriate precautions and keep their homes and vehicles protected."

By the Numbers

Part I Crimes Jan - Mar 2010 Jan - Mar 2011 Homicide 0 0 Manslaughter 0 0 Vehicular Homicide 0 0 Vehicular Manslaughter 0 0 Vehicular Assault 0 0 Rape 0 0 Robbery 0 1 Child Molestation 0 1 Arson 0 0 Felony Assault 0 0 Felony Assault DV 0 0 Assault 11 9 Assault DV 12 11 Residential Burglary 5 9 Commercial Burglary 4 5 Thefts/Larceny 58 40 Motor Vehicle Theft 5 4 TOTAL 95 80 Part II Crimes Jan - Mar 2010 Jan - Mar 2011 Possession of Stolen Property (PSP) 3 1 Malicious Mischief 82 31 Counterfeiting 0 0 Fraud/Forger 16 14 Weapon Violations 3 2 Disorderly Conduct 4 2 Other Drug Violations 11 10 Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act (VUCSA) 5 3 DUI 33 32 Other Liquor Violations 16 7 Embezzlement 0 0 Prostitution/Commercialize n/a 0 Vice 0 n/a Gambling 0 0 TOTAL 173 102 Other Offenses Jan - Mar 2010 Jan - Mar 2011 Juvenile Other 25 26 Suspicious Person/Situation 98 96 Parking Complaints 30 53 Alarms 63 47 All Other Offenses 835 901 Total Other Offenses 1,051 1,123

To see the complete police report, click here. (scroll to page 177)


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