As 2004 comes to a close, preliminary statistics show that
despite a year of police staffing shortages and budget shortfalls,
most crime in Hollister is down except for rape
– which is almost double what it was last year.
Hollister – As 2004 comes to a close, preliminary statistics show that despite a year of police staffing shortages and budget shortfalls, most crime in Hollister is down except for rape – which is almost double what it was last year.
Police department statistics from January to September show 19 forcible rapes this year marks a high compared to 11 last year, 15 in 2002 and four in 2000, according to police department stats and those issued by the federal government. By comparison, Gilroy, with 10,000 more people than Hollister, had only 10 rapes this year.
Burglaries were down to 150 this year after hitting a high of 293 in 2003, and larceny incidents, which include various thefts, were substantially lower at 489 compared to last year’s 621.
Police Chief Jeff Miller said while overall crime is down by 16 percent, the increase in rape isn’t a serious cause for concern but is a high priority in the department. Most rapes in Hollister are committed by someone who knew the victim – such as child molestation, domestic sexual assault and date rape – and Miller said the rise could be because there’s more of a societal emphasis to report rape.
“While the numbers are up significantly, I haven’t been apprised of anything alarming where you sit there and go, ‘We’ve got a real problem,'” Miller said.
City Councilmember Robert Scattini knew rape was on the rise in the city but was surprised to hear the figures had jumped that high. He also attributed the increase to more people reporting the crime, which he believes could be a good thing in the long run.
“If (victims) don’t report it these guys will do it again,” he said.
Domestic violence numbers are also down from 130 so far this year from 169 last year. But by comparison, Gilroy has only one more instance of domestic violence in 2004 than Hollister.
Miller attributed a decrease in crime locally to officers making more traffic stops and concentrating on the city’s gang and drug problem, but noted crime is decreasing nationwide. Speeding citations in Hollister are up from 215 in 2003 to 356 this year, while there were 380 more tickets given for moving violations.
“The officers are doing a great job because the numbers have all gone in the right direction,” Miller said. “Even in these tough times they have gone out and given more than 100 percent effort. But they’re swimming against a very strong tide right now.”
The police department has fought an ongoing battle to adequately protect Hollister and investigate cases with staffing levels below 50 percent of the state Peace Officer Standards and Training organization’s recommended ratio of 1.5 officers per 1,000 people.
Gilroy’s crime stats are comparable to Hollister’s if the difference in population is taken into account. Gilroy had 103 aggravated assaults compared to Hollister’s 57, 842 instances of larceny compared to Hollister’s 498 but only 12 more burglaries than occurred in Hollister.
Statistics between January and November of this year from the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department, which includes the city of San Juan Bautista, show that rape, aggravated assault, burglary and car theft are down in the county compared to all of 2003. However, theft is up from 147 last year to 162 this year.
Sheriff Lt. Pat Turturici said crime is down across America, and attributed San Benito’s lower numbers to the nationwide trend that he believes could be a result of tougher penalties.
However, the sheriff’s department has made a concerted effort to get the community involved through participating in neighborhood and vacation watches, which Turturici said has also contributed to the dip in crime.
“Overall, I think (2004) has been pretty good. We’ve been out there trying to get the community involved in crime prevention, which is really what we’re looking for,” Turturici said. “One thing we want to strive to achieve over the next 12 months is to look at the drug problem and meth labs.”
Turturici estimated that 90 percent of the crimes committed in the county are due to drugs. Sheriff Curtis Hill has said over half the inmates incarcerated in the county jail are there specifically for methamphetamine-related crimes.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
.
