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Homicide Rate Rises, Reversing City Trend

271 killings is highest number under O'Malley; crime overall down 17%

By Del Quentin Wilber (Baltimore Sun Staff)
Originally published January 1, 2004


The number of killings in Baltimore increased last year for the first
time since 1998, reversing the downward trend in the city's most
symbolic barometer of crime and prompting Mayor Martin O'Malley and
his top police official to express disappointment at the stubborn
homicide rate.

As of last night, the city had reported 271 killings last year,
compared with 253 in 2002, a 7 percent increase and the highest
homicide total during O'Malley's four-year tenure as mayor.

"We are not happy that the homicide rate went up rather than down,"
said O'Malley, who has made reducing killings a priority and who
campaigned on a pledge to reduce annual homicide totals to 175 by
2002.

"I think we continue to make progress as a city against violent
crime," O'Malley said. "I wish I could make it go down in all
categories every year with mathematical steadiness and certainty."

While Baltimore experienced a rise in killings, homicide totals in
suburban counties fluctuated slightly, according to preliminary data
that could be modified before being submitted to the FBI and published
later in the year.

Police recorded 31 killings in Baltimore County; one in Carroll; seven
in Howard; five in Harford; and 24 in Anne Arundel, including five in
Annapolis.

In Baltimore, which has been battling deadly violence for more than a
decade, the tally for 2003 could have been higher.

Through mid-July, Baltimore was on pace to record nearly 300
homicides, a mark not seen since 1999. But the rate slowed
substantially in the months that followed, and Commissioner Kevin P.
Clark, who took over the top police job in February, credited the
implementation of crime-fighting strategies that included intensive
efforts to curtail drug dealing.

A spike in killings in December - 30 in 31 days - erased hopes of
closing the year below the homicide total for 2002. There were 256
killings in 2001, 261 in 2000, 305 in 1999 and 314 in 1998.

Big 'disappointment'

"Not being able to reduce homicides is probably the biggest
disappointment of this year," Clark said. "The second half of the
year, when a lot of our initiatives were in place, there was a swing."

Police officials have said the increase in homicides resulted, in
part, from an unusually high number of victims who died in 2003 from
injuries sustained earlier - 18 such deaths were recorded last year,
compared with eight in 2002.

Clark said killings have become more targeted, frequently in
connection with the drug trade, with gunmen hitting their victims with
more bullets.

"They are not looking to shoot a guy in the leg to send a message,"
Clark said. "They are out to kill these guys."

Police statistics through Tuesday morning show that the percentage of
those killed by multiple shots increased only slightly from 2002 -
from 50 percent of gunshot deaths to 53 percent. Another indicator of
execution-style killings - head shots - decreased from 50 percent to
38 percent.

To further reduce killings and curb violence associated with drug
dealing - a Clark priority - the commissioner said he has been
developing a detailed crime-fighting plan that should be published in
the next few weeks. The proposal will revise elements of the 153-page
plan devised by O'Malley and former Police Commissioner Edward T.
Norris three years ago, but Clark emphasized that his main focus will
continue to be driving drug dealers off street corners.

"Drugs are the common factor that binds this entire strategy," Clark
said. "You have to attack drugs."

Though homicides increased, Clark and O'Malley pointed to successes in
other areas.

Detectives in the department's organized crime division made more than
5,000 felony drug arrests, and calls to 911 operators reporting
narcotics activity declined by 16 percent.

Police have also focused on reducing violence associated with people
loitering on street corners and getting into fights. Through Dec. 20,
aggravated assaults in Baltimore decreased by 19 percent - from 8,448
assaults in 2002 to 6,868 last year, according to police statistics.

Overall, crime dropped from 70,411 to 58,113 reported incidents, a 17
percent decrease; property crime fell from 42,002 to 36,584, or 13
percent; and violent crime declined from 13,878 to 11,755, or 15
percent. Nonfatal shootings fell 12 percent, from 596 reported
incidents in 2002 to 527 last year.

"The progress we've made isn't something to be sneezed at," O'Malley
said.

In the suburbs

Most suburban jurisdictions also posted decreases in crime.

Baltimore County, where there were two more murders than in 2002,
reported declines in three closely monitored categories - burglaries
dropped 7 percent, robberies 17 percent and auto thefts 7 percent,
according to preliminary statistics. County police credit community
support - residents reporting crimes and suspicious activities, and
programs such as citizens on patrol - and more focused enforcement.

"Improvements in technology have also helped us - DNA advances, better
computer tracking and continued regional cooperation," said Bill
Toohey, a Baltimore County police spokesman.

Howard County police reported that the number of killings remained the
same, at seven last year, though violent crime rose 13 percent during
the first nine months of the year.

Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard police spokeswoman, cautioned that
fluctuations over short periods aren't necessarily indicative of
broader crime trends.

"The percentage of Howard County citizens directly affected by crime
remains very, very low," Llewellyn said.

Property crimes declined nearly 6 percent, with fewer burglaries and
thefts. But motor vehicle thefts and attempted thefts rose 17 percent
for the first nine months of the year, police said.

Carroll County's first homicide of 2003 - five were recorded in 2002 -
occurred this week in Westminster, which reported that overall crime
had dropped slightly during the first 11 months of the year.

In Harford County, where the number of killings rose from two in 2002
to five last year, the sheriff reported that robberies and assaults
increased slightly during the first 11 months of the year. Other
crimes, including rapes, burglaries and thefts, decreased.

Saying that deputies had been trying to "increase our visibility
throughout the county," Sheriff R. Thomas Golding added that his
agency is spending more time analyzing trends to more effectively
battle flare-ups of crime.

"Clearly, many crimes are fueled by the drug trade and by criminals
presented with an opportunity," Golding said. "While we certainly
cannot be everywhere, we feel with strategic patrols and increased
visibility, combined with our refocusing our community outreach
efforts and increased public education and awareness - we will
continue to see a reduction in crime."

Anne Arundel County, excluding Annapolis, reported an increase in
homicides from 11 in 2002 to 19 last year. However, overall crime
declined from January through October, the most recent period for
which statistics were available. Violent crime dipped 4 percent and
property crime decreased 2 percent, police said.

"We're very fortunate in Anne Arundel County to have such a low crime
rate, considering what neighboring jurisdictions deal with," said Lt.
Joseph Jordan, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Police
Department.

In Annapolis, homicides increased from four to five, and crime rose
6.5 percent in the first nine months of 2003. Violent crime dropped
about 8 percent during the period, Annapolis police reported.

Sun staff writers Lane Brown, Laura Barnhardt, Julie Bykowicz, Gus G.
Sentementes, Jennifer McMenamin, and Athima Chansanchai contributed to
this article.


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XOXOXO wrote:

Homicide Rate Rises, Reversing City Trend
271 killings is highest number under O'Malley;
crime overall down 17%

By Del Quentin Wilber (Baltimore Sun Staff)
Originally published January 1, 2004

The number of killings in Baltimore increased last year for the
first time since 1998, ...

http://www.ftimes.com/Main.asp?Secti...icleID=1950 4

Gary, Indiana Leads Nation in Per Capita Homicides
Friday January 02, 2004
AP

GARY, Ind. - This northern Indiana city appeared to finish 2003 with
the nation's highest per capita homicide rate for the ninth straight
year, according to police statistics.

Police in Gary, population 103,000, investigated 69 suspicious deaths,
68 of which have been classified as homicides. That total was about 10
percent higher than the 62 in 2002, but down substantially from the
132 people killed in 1995, the Post-Tribune of Merrillville reported
Friday.

Based on information from police in major U.S. cities, Gary was poised
again to post the highest per capita homicide rate for cities with
population of more than 100,000, the newspaper reported.

Chicago, Gary's larger neighbor, finished 2003 with 599 homicides, the
highest unofficial total among major U.S. cities.

Police said much of the violence in Gary is done by Chicago residents
who move their homes or drug operations to the nearby Indiana city.

"As Chicago tears down its high-rise public housing buildings, many of
those people are moving here," said Police Chief Garnett Watson.

Gary, Indiana should be known as the Most Murderous City
but NOT necessarily the MOST DANGEROUS CITY...

According to http://www.morganquitno.com/cit04pop.htm

The Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities for 2003:

1 Detroit, MI
2 St. Louis, MO
3 Atlanta, GA
4 Camden, NJ
5 Washington, DC
6 Compton, CA
7 Dayton, OH
8 Baltimore, MD
9 Tampa, FL
10 Gary, IN

Gary, IN may be the MOST MURDEROUS CITY but one must
also factor in the violent crime rate (from each respective
city) to ascertain The MOST DANGEROUS CITY (or cities).

Soooooorry, but Balti-Morgue is a More Dangerous City!

http://balti.what.cc
http://omalley.ismad.com
http://baltimore.home-page.org
http://conventions.home-page.org



Homicide Rate Rises, Reversing City Trend
271 killings is highest number under O'Malley;
crime overall down 17%

By Del Quentin Wilber (Baltimore Sun Staff)
Originally published January 1, 2004

The number of killings in Baltimore increased last year for the
first time since 1998, ...

http://www.ftimes.com/Main.asp?Secti...icleID=1950 4

Gary, Indiana Leads Nation in Per Capita Homicides
Friday January 02, 2004
AP

GARY, Ind. - This northern Indiana city appeared to finish 2003 with
the nation's highest per capita homicide rate for the ninth straight
year, according to police statistics.

XOXOXO wrote:

Gary, Indiana should be known as the Most Murderous City
but NOT necessarily the MOST DANGEROUS CITY...

According to http://www.morganquitno.com/cit04pop.htm

The Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities for 2003:

Note that Chicago and other cities were not part of this ranking
because:

--------------------
MISSING CITIES

This year, several cities of 75,000+ population did not report
complete crime information and thus were not
included in the Safest Cities rankings.

Chicago and Other Illinois Cities: For several years, rape numbers
submitted by cities in the state of Illinois have not met the FBI's
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) guidelines. This remains the case with
2002 crime data. According to state statisticians, the state of
Illinois tracks "sexual assault," which includes not only female
rapes, but also offenses such as male rape, sodomy, etc. For these
reasons, Chicago and other Illinois cities once again are not found in
this year's Safest City rankings.

Other Cities: Crime data for a number of other cities with populations
larger than 75,000 are not reported in this 10th edition of City Crime
Rankings. Crime statistics for these cities are not included for a
number of reasons, ranging from general reporting difficulties and
computer issues to changes in reporting systems. Below is a list of
cities that the Census Bureau showed as having populations greater
than 75,000 but for which no information was available through the
2002 F.B.I.’s Uniform Crime Report:

Albany, NY Las Cruces, NM Arlington Heights, IL
Longmont, CO Augusta, GA Nashua, NH
Canton, OH New Bedford, MA Centennial CA
New Haven, CT Cicero IL Newport Beach, CA
Citrus Heights, CA Newton, MA Decatur, IL
Roanoke, VA Elgin, IL Santa Maria, CA
Elk Grove, CA Waukegan, IL Hillsboro, OR
Westminster, CO Kansas City, KS Worcester, MA

------------------

Fly Guy wrote in :

XOXOXO wrote:

Gary, Indiana should be known as the Most Murderous City
but NOT necessarily the MOST DANGEROUS CITY...


The real reason it's so dangerous is that tourists inevitably start singing
that song, "gary, indiana, gary, indiana, gary, indiana" from "the music
man."

Residents just HATE that!