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Decatur crime: Robberies down, burglaries up in first seven months of 2013

Decaturish updates

Decatur crime: Robberies down, burglaries up in first seven months of 2013

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Sgt. Jennifer Ross gave me the official uniform crime reports (UCR) for July of 2013.

Data show that while robberies in Decatur stole the headlines this summer, the actual number of robberies reported in the first seven months of 2013 declined 6 percent compared with the first seven months of 2012. Burglary reports, and property crime reports in general, are higher this year compared with the first seven months of last year.
July Numbers
Of course, the thing with numbers is you can spin them in a variety of ways. If I wanted to compare total UCR data for July of 2012 with July of 2013, you’d get an overall 5.5 percent decrease. Start breaking that down into individual categories, and you see robberies increased in a month-to-month comparison.

This isn’t the whole story, but it gives us an insight into the patterns of crime in our community. My conclusions remain the same: the city has a lower violent crime rate and a higher property crime rate than it had at this time last year.

I think the advice remains the same, too. Enjoy your surroundings, but also be aware of them. Lock your doors when you leave the house. Don’t leave electronics in your car. When you see something sketchy, avoid it and call the police.

Be safe. Be smart. Don’t be naive.