JACKSON SEES GOOD NEWS IN POLICE STATISTICS

JACKSON -- Jackson city and civic officials like to talk about the quality of life in Jackson. They point out Jackson is a great place to live and raise a family, in part, because of the low crime rate.

It's not just idle talk. The figures and statistics to back up their claim are in the Jackson Police Department's 1993 Activity Report.

"I think the statistics clearly indicate what we have been saying for a long time," said Mayor Paul Sander. "We're very proud the year-end report shows no increases in violent, major crimes."

According to the report, there were no homicides in Jackson last year, and none in 1991 or 1992. In fact, the assistant police chief, Capt. Robert Hull, said the last homicide in Jackson was in 1987, and prior to that in 1981.

Two cases of rape were reported in Jackson last year, compared with one in 1992 and none in 1991.

Two armed robberies occurred in 1991. There were none in 1992 and 1993. One aggravated assault occurred in 1992 and in 1993. There were none in 1991.

Hull said a majority of the 124 larceny-over-$50 offenses that occurred in 1993 involved bad checks. That compared to 90 in 1992 and 108 in 1991.

Again, the majority of larceny-under-$50 offenses also involved bad checks. There were 66 cases in 1993, compared to 70 in 1992 and 69 in 1991.

Meanwhile, the number of burglaries in Jackson has remained at about the same level the past three years. There were 22 last year, 25 in 1992 and 23 in 1991.

The number of auto thefts dropped during the past three years. There were eleven in 1991, seven in 1992 and three in 1993.

Said Hull, "Folks are paying more attention about securing their vehicles, such as taking the car keys with them and locking the doors. If you remove the temptation, you can reduce the risk."

According to the report, there were 21 adults arrested in Jackson last year on felony charges, compared to 15 the year before, and 13 arrests in 1991.

There were 12 juvenile felony arrests last year, compared with 8 in 1992 and 17 in 1991.

"Again, some of this reflects our growth of population," said Hull. "The more people there are, the greater the risk of crime."

There have been no arrests for prostitution in Jackson the past three years. There were five sexual assault offenses in 1993 compared to 14 in 1992 and nine in 1991. "These include both adult and juvenile offenses," said Hull. "There is no particular reason for the ups and down the past three years. Its just a sporadic thing that may change from one year to the next."

There were 14 drug violations in 1993, compared to 11 in 1992 and nine in 1991.

Four liquor violations were reported in Jackson in 1993, compared to none in 1992 and three in 1991. Hull said the violations usually involved underage possession of alcohol, or adults selling to, or buying liquor, for minors.

Although the number of weapons violations in 1993 is considered low, Hull said the department is concerned because the number of offenses has grown the past three years.

There were three weapons violation offenses in 1991, two in 1992 and eight in 1993. Some involved illegal or concealed weapons, or improperly registered weapons.

But at least two of the 1993 offenses involved weapons in the school building or on the playground. "We're concerned that a lot more kids are, or may start, carrying guns or other weapons to school," said Hull. "We're working with the school district this year to try to stop it.

"We have an officer that is conducting classes this month on weapons violations in the junior high school. Having weapons in the school and on the playground is a very real concern to us and the school district."

The growth of Jackson, and the surrounding area, is also evident in the increasing number of motor vehicle accidents that occurred the past three years.

There were 456 accidents in 1993, of which 73 involved one or more injuries. That compares to 377 accidents in 1992, which included 38 injury accidents. In 1991, there were 372 accidents, with 51 injury accidents, and one traffic fatality. There were no traffic fatalities in Jackson in 1992 or 1993.

"A lot of the increase is due to the amount of out-county traffic going to work in Jackson or Cape," said Hull. "We have more motor vehicles in town. The more you have, the greater the risk of accidents."

But Hull said the motor vehicle accident figure would probably be much higher if it were not for the recent widening of East Jackson Boulevard to five lanes, and the placement of traffic signals on East Jackson at Donna Drive, and at Shawnee. He also said the department has stepped up its patrols and enforcement of speed and traffic regulations.

In 1993, there were 623 arrests for moving traffic violations. That was down considerably from the 923 arrests in 1992, and less than the 655 arrests that occurred in 1991. Said Hull, "I think this indicates that people did a better job of driving this past year, despite the increase in motor vehicle accidents.

Last year, the 18-member Jackson Police Department worked a total of 25,767 hours, not including another 376 hours overtime. Of the 18, 15 are commissioned officers.

The department has seven cars, of which one is assigned to the chief, and one to the detective division.

Last year, the cars logged a total of 127,252 miles, compared to 126,344 miles in 1992.