10-Year Declining Crime Trend Continues in Kent

A decrease in the crime index and an increase in the ’s clearance rate “reflect a successful year in law enforcement,” Chief Michelle Lee said of facts and figures laid out in the department’s 2011 Annual Report.

While some of the “eight major crimes” categories — murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, car theft, arson and theft – saw an uptick in 2011, Lee said that “reviewing is the more accurate reflection of ‘crime trends’ in the city.”

And consistent with state and national trends, Lee said, Kent “experienced a decrease in most of the reported major eight crimes, accidents and overall calls for service.”

Between 2001 and 2011, the number of all eight major crimes declined overall in Kent by 30 percent, according to the police department's 2011 report. The statistics are based on crime reports filed annually with the FBI.

The police department's clearance rate in 2011 was 31.75 percent, up from 28.59 percent the previous year. The highest clearance rate in the past decade was 35.5 percent in 2003; the lowest was 21.13 percent in 2008.

Other numbers from the 2011 report include:

• There were two murders in Kent last year; the only other year in the past 10 that has shared that number was 2004.

• Six rapes were reported in 2011, the lowest number in the past decade (the highest was 14 in 2003).

• There were 17 robberies reported last year, up from the nine reported in 2010 (the highest was 24 in 2006).

• Assault cases totaled 235 in 2011, up from the 217 reported in 2010 – but down quite a bit from the 327 reported in 2002.

• Burglaries dropped to 146 in 2011 from the 156 reported the prior year (the highest number of cases in the past decade was 222 in 2001).

• Reports of larceny increased in 2011 to 472 cases from the 451 reported in 2010 – both of which are down significantly from the 647 reported in 2002.

•  There were eight more reports of auto theft in 2011 (32) than in 2010 (24). The highest number in the past decade was 62 in 2005.

• Arson crimes it the city dropped to 16 in 2011 from the 19 reported the previous year (the highest was 59 in 2002).

• The police department handled 20,669 overall calls for service in 2011, down 5.08 percent from the 19,470 calls received in 2010. (Those figures include calls dispatched for the fire department – 4,105 in 2011 and 4,087 in 2010.)

• The top three categories in 2011 calls for service were: traffic stop, 6,013; disorderly conduct, 1,432, and suspicious event, 890.

• Officers made 2,066 total arrests last year, which was down 2.09 from the 2,110 arrests made in 2010. Of those arrested, 208 were juveniles, up 11.83 percent from the 186 juveniles arrested in 2010.

• The top three criminal offenses behind adult arrests were: disorderly conduct, 297; failure to appear warrant, 207, and prohibitions (underage drinking), 197.

• Police took 237 impaired drivers off city streets in 2011, a 10.75 percent increase over the 214 OVI drivers nabbed in 2010.

• There was a 12.50 percent drop in the number of traffic citations issued: 2,841 in 2011 and 3,247 in 2010.

• Area motorists received 15.33 percent fewer parking tickets in 2011 (2,468) than in 2010 (2,915).

, which includes 2011 departmental accomplishments, details about the numerous law enforcement initiatives and community services introduced last year, training methods and employee recognition.