(Akiit.com) In a previous opinion piece, Dennis Wyatt discussed ways to get more police without increasing taxes. There is a serious need for more police officers in this community, especially when you consider the growing crime rate and the increasing seriousness of the crimes committed in the area.
Recent studies revealed that the growing crime rate isn’t an anomaly. Smaller cities that are less populated tend to have higher crime rates compared to bigger cities with strong police forces. There are a number of insights to understand about this pattern.
Data from Intelius
Intelius, a leading provider of public data, recently compiled comprehensive generational felony statistics based on the data the company has access to, and the insights that can be learned from the report are indeed interesting. The company looked into crimes across three generations, observing aspects such as personality and beliefs in the process.
Intelius defined felonies as serious crimes, including violent ones. Using advanced parameters, the company was able to look deep into patterns in different communities. The comprehensiveness of the Intelius report is also due to the fact that law enforcement officers are now trained to gather as much information as possible at every instance.
Based on the collected data, violent crimes and felonies are more common in rural areas, smaller cities, and less populated districts as opposed to big and densely populated areas. Fewer people means lower possibilities of those people intervening in the event of a serious crime. Less populated areas also have smaller police forces, which is why the higher crime rates are common.
A Growing Problem
Manteca is at a critical point. The city is on the border of being in the bottom 10% of safest cities in the United States. There are also more serious crimes reported this year. Add the fact that the crimes committed in the city are becoming more violent, and it is easy to see why more people are pushing for the expansion of the police force.
The statistics aren’t good either. There are 244 violent crimes so far, bringing our average to a worrying 3.17 per 1,000 residents. With a population of nearly 80,000, that average number of crimes is higher than other cities of the same or comparable size. Robbery and assault are the two most common types of violent crimes in the city.
Manteca also saw more than 2,000 property-related crimes, with an average of 36.13 per 1,000 residents. To put that in perspective, the state of California’s property crime average is currently hovering around the 25 mark.
Time to Get Involved
Unfortunately, relying solely on the police isn’t the best solution at this point. The problem continues to grow, and it is difficult to keep up with the pace of that growth unless every stakeholder gets involved. The residents of Manteca need to be willing to take part in community watch programs and other initiatives. These programs can be designed to fill gaps while the police force is being expanded.
It is time to get involved. Manteca’s increasing crime rate isn’t unique; other cities are facing the same set of challenges. The growing number of crimes, however, still needs to be stopped. Based on the data and insights we discussed in this article, the best time to start taking action, is now.
Staff Writer; Craig Jones