Violent Crime

Violent crime is up nearly 17 percent in Delaware County, but the number of reported burglaries and drunken-driving offenses has dropped, authorities said. The number of reported crimes in the county was down 6 percent from 50,054 cases in 1986 to 47,166 cases last year, according to the 1987 Uniform Crime Report released by the Pennsylvania State Police. Reported rape cases in the county rose 19 percent, from 131 in 1986 to 156 last year, the report states. Joyce Dale, executive director of Delaware County Women Against Rape, said the figures reported in the Uniform Crime Report are far lower than the number of new victims who contacted the agency.

MARK SINGEL PARTY: Democratic AGE:40 HOME: Johnstown CURRENT JOB: Lieutenant governor POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Six years in state Senate OTHER JOBS: Ran two Congressional offices in Washington in the 1970s CLAIM TO FAME: Got to fill in when Gov. Casey was out sick FAMILY: Wife and three young children CRIME Basic Philosophy: Crack down on violent crime, but remember that it's just one symptom of a...

Violent crime in Philadelphia dropped 6 percent in the first half of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009, according to data released Monday by the FBI. The decline mirrors a nationwide trend. The number of violent crimes across the country fell 6.2 percent, according to preliminary numbers in the Semiannual Uniform Crime Report. Offenses categorized as violent include murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. In Philadelphia, the number of robberies reported from January to June fell 12 percent, from 4,324 to 3,784, accounting for most of the decline.

Reporting an overall decrease in the crime rate locally but an upswing in violent crime, the annual New Jersey Uniform Crime Report - called by one police lieutenant the equivalent of an income-tax form for police departments - has just been published. The report summarizes the crime facts and figures compiled by the more than 500 police districts in the state. While local police chiefs warn against overgeneralizing, but some interesting information emerges from the report.

Some statistics say Philadelphia is the safest big city in America. But new numbers show a "frightening upsurge in violent crime" here, according to a report just released by the Citizens Crime Commission. Murder alone increased by 26 percent last year, costing 344 lives, the highest number in five years, the commission said. "And when other potentially fatal attacks on persons are included, a dangerous trend emerges," the group said in a statement announcing publication of the report yesterday.

I was disappointed for a number of reasons by the Craig McCoy and Mark Fazlollah article on Aug. 17, "Violent crimes rise as arrests fall in city. " First, it overemphasizes a six-month increase in two crime categories. This, in my opinion, serves to alarm a public that feels increasingly safe and that enjoys an improved quality of life as a result of the many strategies put forth by our Police Department. However, I am in no way complacent about the rise in violent crime recorded in the city in recent months.

As overall crime continues to diminish in Philadelphia, violent crime - including homicide and gunpoint robberies - is on the increase. At the same time, police are arresting fewer people and solving fewer crimes. Those are the highlights gleaned from the latest crime statistics released by the police department. The trend appears to present the biggest challenge yet for Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, who has pursued a far different policing strategy than his predecessor, John F. Timoney, since taking over in early 2002.

WHEN FEDERAL agents and Philadelphia cops arrested a group of gun-toting men near the airport on Wednesday — thwarting an alleged plan to rob a drug dealer — the takedown was the result of a new partnership between federal and local officials to combat violent and drug-related crime across the city. Attorney General Eric Holder and Mayor Nutter announced the partnership at City Hall on Monday. The partnership includes more than 50 federal law-enforcement officials, and Holder said that during a four-month "surge," which began June 4, federal resources are being used to build local capacity, enhance training, coordinate outreach, bolster intelligence and help plan and execute more sophisticated criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Violent crime in Philadelphia dropped 3 percent and property crime rose 4 percent in 2010, consistent with the trend in major cities but a departure from the double-digit declines of recent years. Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey cited a number of factors, including the city's financial crisis, that led to the slashing of overtime and the elimination of two Police Academy classes. "I think that it was a challenging year," said Ramsey, whose first two years as the city's top cop brought impressive drops in violent crime, including double-digit decreases in homicides and robberies.

Atlantic County officials yesterday announced plans to allocate $250,000 for the creation of a task force to fight violent crime. The money will enable the Prosecutor's Office to hire six investigators to help police departments fight crimes such as murder and armed robbery, Prosecutor Jeffrey Blitz said. The unit also will work with police in nabbing violent offenders in "selected cases," he said. "This means that we will have additional personnel on hand to help us deal with these problems as they come up," Blitz said.