Pubdate: Sun, 22 Jun 2003
Source: State Journal-Register (IL)
Copyright: 2003 The State Journal-Register
Contact:  http://www.sj-r.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/425
Author: Greg Cima

STATE CRIME RATE DROPS FOR 8TH YEAR

Some Local Counties Experience Increase

Menard County Sheriff Larry Smith offers a one-word explanation for
increased crime in his county last year: methamphetamine.

Smith said his agency made about 20 meth-related arrests last year, and
hopes that kind of aggressive enforcement will avoid a repeat of the 17.7
percent jump in overall crimes in Menard County in 2002.

Statewide, the crime rate and drug arrests dropped last year, according to
statistics compiled by the Illinois State Police. But some counties,
including Menard, Logan and Sangamon, had increases in both categories -
even though the Sangamon County murder rate dropped to its lowest level in
more than a decade.

The increase in the Menard County rate was a result of 26 more crimes than
in 2001, yet the county's overall rate of 13.9 crimes per 1,000 people was
still less than half the statewide rate of 41.7. The biggest increase came
from aggravated assaults and batteries, which Smith said could be linked to
drug use.

The state's overall crime rate declined by 1.5 percent in 2002 - the eighth
consecutive year for the rate to drop - and the most recent FBI statistics
indicate the national rate declined slightly as well.

A number of counties had lower crime rates, including Cass County, which had
13.1 percent less crime in 2002, following a 170 percent jump in 2001. Even
the state's most populous county, Cook County, had a decrease of about 2.4
percent, or approximately 7,000 fewer crimes.

The Sangamon County crime rate was up about 7.5 percent, compared to a drop
in similar-sized counties such as Champaign, down 4.9 percent, and Peoria,
down 1.4 percent. Robbery, sexual assault, theft and aggravated assault and
battery all increased in Sangamon County last year, particularly in
Springfield. The county did have fewer motor vehicle thefts, down 14
percent.

The number of murders in Sangamon County dropped to seven, the lowest number
since 1989. Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson said murder rates are
especially unpredictable year to year.

"We can't do anything about it," Williamson said. "It's just going to go up
and down on its own because most of them are either drug-related, or in the
heat of passion or domestics."

Williamson said crime rate in the past 10 years was unusually low and
attributes the recent increase partly to the slow economy.

"When people lose their jobs, it just goes hand-in-hand," he said, adding
that a rash of armed robberies last fall, when more than 40 businesses were
robbed, probably skewed the county statistics.

Lt. Mark Bridges, of the Springfield Police Department, agreed a slow
economy and higher unemployment contribute to crime. Both he and Williams
said methamphetamine use has increased locally.

Sangamon County's total drug arrests more than doubled last year, with about
140 percent more arrests in the controlled substance category, which
includes methamphetamine. Sangamon also more than doubled its marijuana
arrests and had nearly three-quarters more arrests for drug paraphernalia.

Logan, Macoupin, Menard and Christian counties also had significant
increases in arrests for controlled substances, according to the state
report.

Macoupin County had a 2.3 percent increase in the crime rate and more than
doubled its controlled substance arrests. Aggravated assaults and batteries
were up 30 percent. Burglaries were down about 24 percent, but thefts rose
by about 11 percent.

The biggest increases in Macoupin County were in the communities of Virden,
Bunker Hill, Medora and Wilsonville. Virden had nearly twice as much crime
as the year before, with jumps in aggravated assaults and batteries,
burglaries, thefts and motor vehicle thefts. Bunker Hill's crime also
increased by more than one-third as a result of the same type of crimes.

Medora, with about 500 residents, and Wilsonville, with about 600 residents,
both had increases in thefts. Menard County officials arrested 27 people
under the controlled substance category last year, up from just one arrest
in 2001. The county also had its first six arrests for possession of
hypodermic syringes and needles in several years. Smith said the increase in
arrests for possession of needles and syringes goes hand-in-hand with
methamphetamine use.

Logan County's overall drug arrests increased by 16 percent, while the
overall rate increased by about 10 percent.

Christian County had about 78 percent more drug arrests in 2002, though the
overall rate dropped 1.8 percent.
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