I love this kind of stuff...the sky is falling! the sky is falling! Research is about 50/50 on the economy in relation to crime. What do you think?
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100916/news/100919737&tc=yahoo
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100916/news/100919737&tc=yahoo
A decrease in crime rate is always a positive thing for the world.I think the more equipment and technology available for use the better. It will continue to help the numbers and crime rate stay low. When people know that the use of technology is getting better and being used it tend to question their choices they want to make. When people realize the increase in surveillance cameras I think it will continue to help the community towards becoming crime free.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that technology can make a difference in deterring crime and its getting more and more sophisticated too. What I believe is making a difference most of all, I think people are starting to voice their anger, opinions, and take action to stop the foolishness and senseless acts of crimes. Some might feel our privacy might be invaded by some of these programs...well! I got nothing to hide but to say sometimes you got to give up something to make a difference...what we doing now is catered to the wrong individuals...to many loopholes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that any decrease in crime is a great accomplishment, especially in these hard economic times. I definitively believe that surveillance technology makes a big impact on crime. When people know they are being watched they are more apt to mind their behavior. I am not a red light runner, but I am extra careful to come to a complete stop behind the crosswalk now before turning right on red due to the increase in traffic cameras in Burleson. Just knowing that someone is watching and will hold you accountable for your actions is enough to detour at least some crime.
ReplyDeleteWow, I figured since the economy has gone down crime rate would go up since that’s normally what past studies have shown. Since it’s gone down, that is very good for the town. Also, if other people see that that town can do it. Maybe other police forces in other towns can follow their example. It’s nice for people today to see that people that work in the crime field can see how jobs are always open and needed. Yes, technology plays a heavy role in the reason why it has gone down. There are different things police departments can do, surveillance wise, to people either catch people or prevent crime all together. Certain measurements taken may seem invasive, everyone always has something to hide, but crime is ridiculous. Respect the law, yes, but people can have the job of creating new technology for that purpose alone and there’s money in their pocket and citizens assured safety. Plus, once people experience a crime towards them, their personal bubble being burst will be the least of their worries. Surveillance cameras will make people realize that they are being watched and once they get that traffic fine from no coming to a complete stop, or shop lifting, it will make other people realize it is near impossible to get away with acts of deviance. Which is why people keep doing it, they think they can get away with it.
ReplyDeleteI believe the key word in this article is “reported”. Maybe a better word would be "unreported"also known as the dark figure of crime. And what source did they use for their figures, the Uniform Crime Report? The UCR only reports crimes that are known to the police which can create a large gap in statistics.
ReplyDeleteReporting that violent crime has stayed the same at the University of Alabama is great news for them, but was everything reported? I have heard that certain crimes are not reported to the police that occur on campus, but through the school with actions such as suspension. One reason is that not reporting it to the police allows the schools crime record to appear better than it is. Schools with high crime tend to have a decline in future student enrollment, which affects the budget.
It would be encouraging if the decline was due to law enforcements efforts in recognizing future “hot spots” and preparing beforehand instead of in hindsight. Technology is advancing in law enforcement and there are tools out there to be used, such as GIS or geographic information systems to better prepare them. But with the economy in the state it is in, I am afraid that we have not seen all the effects caused by cultural deviance yet.
It is really strange that crime rates are going down because in bad economic times like the crimes are usually up. People are forced to do things they normally wouldn’t do because there are limited opportunities to survive in bad economic times. In this case rates are going down in one the most economic time the U.S, has every faced. A big part in what I read was more faith based organizations are coming to help the trouble youth. Which is a great program for kids to be set in the right path and stay away from trouble. Another reason crime rates are down is because more law enforcement is out in the streets for things to keep more in order. The enforcement that is out the more of a chance there is to keep crimes rates down to a minimum. More and more police stations are popping up which means more enforcement. More city should learn from the city of Tuscaloosa and what they are doing to lower crime because it seems to work. There crime is going down which is shocking because of the economic time we are in. the more organizations that are put in place to help the troubled youth in combination with more law enforcement will drive crimes rates down drastically as shown by the city of Tuscaloosa.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds great, a drop in crime even though the economic situation across the nation is bad. I can see how the new police precincts, surveillance cameras and faith-based organizations can make a difference. The thought of the police being able to keep an eye on you from cameras or a squad car can become a great deterrent when it comes to stopping crime. The faith-based organizations can help by getting kids, teenagers, and parents interested in the Bible and more family oriented activities that are sponsored by churches.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking about new precincts, did you notice the new police station building that was built on Knoxville street that is replacing the old make shift building? The old Stripling-Cox store at the corner of Lancaster and Ayers has been remodeled and turned into a police station also. Maybe these additions will help make a positive deterrent on crime in Texas Wesleyan’s neighborhood.
C. Meeke
ReplyDeleteI would agree that the Genetec Omnicast camera system has a place in law enforcement. The report sounds great but what about the big bother approach. Some people will say that being monitor by the police does not worry them. These people are entitled to their opinion, but surveillance cameras concern me. I never know that technology was implemented into the CJ system this way. It is very important for police to have these advances in technology and using intelligence led policing for the greater good. The one issue I have with this report is funding. Is the Tuscaloosa police dept relying on grant money from the government or taxes from the community? If the program is grant money what will happen when the funds are used up? Will the city against for more taxes from the citizens? I am concerned with the big brother approach and the CJ system plays in that and it nice to see technology acting as a deterrent. It was good to read how the community policing was seen as an assist to the police. I think that community policing has a place in policing communities when the people participating in the people are properly train and briefed on criminal law. Citizens know more about certain communities because they live in them. The downward trend in criminal activity reported is confusing to me. I always believed that changes in socioeconomic status brought on by the economy would bring hardships to communities. These hardships would cause crime to go up.
Do i think that crime is going down"no". I think that less people are calling the crimes in becase they dont see anything happening. Say your house get broken in to you have to wait 3 to 4 hour just to grt finger prints then about 4 weeks to see if any hits come back. The time it takes waiting you can replace things. You call the cops for hearing gun shots about a hour later they show up, wow what are they going to do why th people have left already. I see people would rather a crime happen and never call because what good would do they would be here in time or they can do anything. Its not all the police officer fault they have hoop to jump though to. Sometimes i wish there were a book that told everyone what there right were in words that they could understand we have a penal code the need a handbook on rights. If s many poeple werent scared of what would happen when the called that might also help see what the crime rate really is.
ReplyDeleteIt's all ways good to hear that the crime rate has decreased. If there is tech out there to help keep crime down then lets use it. If the world would find more ways to help reduce such activity, than the world would be a better place. Crime is everywhere, and lets face it, if we don't put things in place to help keep the number down than our country will be trouble. Lets use the Tech, the camers, the police, the service man and everything else out there to keep the down the numbers.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, an article that focuses mainly around statistics cannot really present a clear picture on what direction crime is going. Statistics can be very misleading in that they usually focus on a particular geographical area, as it is hard to represent a vast geographical area with assurance that those statistics are accurate. The fact that crime appears to have gone down in Tuscaloosa county represents no decline in the nation as a whole. Also, the article seems to focus on success of initiatives followed by the police, as well as outside organizations in helping keep crime down. In some areas that are mentioned, such as decreases in violent crime, the success of such measures can be seen as contributing. However, increase in property crimes (including theft) shows that continuing economic deprivation is leading to a transfer of crime to other areas. In other words, police initiatives can help reduce the amount of crime in particular areas. However, maybe exacerbating factors such as the economy and desperation are more powerful when effecting crime rates than preventative measures taken by the police
ReplyDeleteFirst off we don't really know if crime has gone down in that area. The statement crime has gone down is based on numbers of crimes that have been received. No one knows for sure how many crimes have been unreported. Also toward the end of the article it said that some police departments didn't submit numbers. So this become even more of a stretch since the statement is based on a percentage of the numbers that are reported to police stations, instead of the whole. In terms of a bigger picture, yeah maybe crime has gone down in that area, but that doesn't mean crime is going down overall. Whose to say that maybe some of the people commiting crimes didn't just pack up and move somewhere else. Somewhere they can commit new crimes that will increase the crime rate somewhere else making it look like crime rate is actuall going up.
ReplyDeleteThe sky is falling, didn't you look outside and see that? I'm not going to lie, I'm not a number person, so an article with a bunch of numbers that only briefly explains them, isn't much proof to me. What I can gather is that this evidence all seems to be very circumstantial and doesn't really prove anything. Show me statistics that show a steady decline over at least five years, preferably ten and then there would be some creditability. I don't have much else to say on this, until further evidence can be provided to me that actually has some substance...I guess I'll come back to this in five to ten years...I'm not holding my breath that the evidence I desire will have turned up by then either.
ReplyDeleteA decrease in crime is always good but how many crimes were not reported? did people lie? did one of the people that messes with the stats ower the numbers to make it look like the crime rate has dropped? we would like to think the crime rate has dropped. with the all the new technology i think the crime has dropped but it is just a matter of time before criminals figure out a loophole around the technology. all of these stats are over a one year time period. what about 2011? if the crime rate continued to drop over a longer time span saying crime has decreased would mean alot more.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this article presents a positive effect with crime rates in the Tuscaloosa area, the article is bases this find solely off of reported crimes. The fact that so many crimes go unreported for various reason is something to take into account. Of course the fact that these unreported crimes have increase is a possibility but why? It is not fair for on lookers to judge perhaps why these crimes rates are decreasing therefore we would need to review all of the possible changes that have occurred between the years 2008 and 2009. One change that was listed in the article is that The Mayor Walt Maddox's HOPE Initiative organization was established. After doing some further research, this foundation works off the strategy of "prayer, care, share model". The mayor looked at seven neighborhoods which had the highest crime rates of the Tuscaloosa area. He then implemented that this organization was to reach out specifically to these neighborhoods though prayer and ministry in order to seek the development of safety for both the adults and children living in this area.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the HOPE organization has more than likely made some impact upon those communities it can not receive all of the credit for decreased crime rates. Therefore it begs the question as to what other contributors are to be recognized. Possible the fact that local gang activity has diminished or relocated, or the fact that schools are better educating children and teens. Maybe the law enforcement numbers have increased therefore being able to increase the amount of crimes caught before actually committed. There are plenty of characteristics that need to be reviewed in seeking the answer as to why these crimes rates have dropped so rapidly before making the assumptions that crime rate is just simply down.
Crimes reported to police seems to have dropped according to the FBI figures. I would be concerned as to the number of unreported crimes. Are the citizens truly experiencing a lull in crime or are they just saying that it no longer does any good to report to the police so they suck it up and move on. Or has the age of Tuscaloosa reached such a mature level that just keeping up with your own stuff is hard enough, and the urge for adventure is taking the dog for a brisk walk. Or have the citizens become a homogenous society all earning about the same and neighbor helping neighbor, content with this is as good as it gets. Better yet I offer this as a final scenario; the criminal element no longer finds this area as a lucrative spot and has set up shop elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteNumbers can be manipulated to say anything depending on the data extracted. I do feel that community watch programs and surveillance cameras are a deterrent for the offender on the of opportunity, but not the determined.
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ReplyDeleteIt’s good that the crime rate is declining. It’s hard to believe that crime is going down with the shape the economy is in. You would think it would be on the rise. I believe the reason we are seeing a decrease in crime is because it is being reported. People are afraid to report a crime because they believe the person who victimized them will come after them again. Even the person who witnessed the crime is afraid to report because they are afraid of being attacked. I believe this isn’t the case now. I agree with Cordell I believe people have had enough. They are sick of being victims of crime and now they are doing something about it. This is why more people are joining the neighborhood watch because they can protect their community by reporting any crimes they see taking place in their neighborhood. I believe the more crime people report, the more crime will decrease.
ReplyDeleteTechnology and crime sounds real familiar,but people need to get involved in their community. I'am sure the community involvement had a lot to do with the crime rate declining. As a Instructor Gullion said that number can be adjusted here and there, to give you a positive readings. They said it has gone down in these hard economic times, we"ll have to see wth the coming holiday season fast approaching
ReplyDeleteFirst off, this is not really a significant drop in crime to make a person want to rethink the connection between low economic development and crime rates. Although a decrease in the crime rate is good, what everyone needs to remember is the “Dark Figure” of crime, how many crimes are going unreported because the victims don’t feel as if it would do any good to report them, how many victims honestly do not know that they have been a victim of crime? Everyone is talking about how the advancement in technologies and the placement of video camera’s in certain areas has helped to decrease the crime rate, I am reminded of an old saying my grandmother has about stuff like this, “A lock only keeps an honest person honest”, so in that respect a camera is only going to deter the person who would normally not even think about committing a crime from committing it. To truly detect an honest drop in the crime rate, these numbers need to watch over a period of years, not one year. The citizens also need to be made aware of the types of crime, such as micro-charging, that most people do not look for on their charge cards. The police also need to make a broader effort to be seen and get to know the area they are working. Most police officers rotate beats so often that they are not aware of the norm in an area, this in itself can cause a decrease in the crime rate because they do not know what to watch for in that area.
ReplyDeleteHooray! Who cares who's baffled? Even with the experts saying that crime rates typically rise during poor economic times, which is exactly what we've had lately, as long as the crime rate is going down everybody is happy! The experts have been wrong before. Lets all be thankful for faith-base organizations that have had a profound effect on in the Tuscaloosa County area as well as others. Whatever it takes to continue a downward spiral in crime rates, law enforcement, different organizations, and the community must work together in an collective efficacy.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news, a boost for the community. I hope they keep up the wonderful work. You have to remember that this is the F.B.I. report; this does not take in to consideration the unreported crime from people that are too embarrassed or ashamed to admit that a crime has occurred. If they feel the crime rate is truly down Congrats to a job well done. What is the average of the rest of the population? Excluding the college community as a part of this population, as this is a temporary situation for many.
ReplyDeleteCrime can be fluid and move with each influx of a new semester have they separated these numbers to get a true reading as to the pulse of the city?
Why are you baffled and not elated? If you feel these statistics are accurate assessments of the actual crime rate they are on the right track.
This line within the article encompasses my confusion perfectly by saying, “Experts say crime rates typically rise during poor economic times.” Don’t they? What an odd occurrence. A good one, but odd. I suppose the authorities within Tuscaloosa were actually doing their job since they have seen such great results. However, the sad thing about this report is that crime rate has only been going down in Tuscaloosa, and not really anywhere else. As nice as it is, crime is still high everywhere else in the nation. It seems Tuscaloosa has been taking the necessary steps to monitor crime and it’s been paying off. Other places can take that initiative as well and see what kind of results they get. It might be harder during the economic time that we’re in, but right now there shouldn’t be questions of “Will this method really work?” It’s worth the try.
ReplyDelete“There are liars, there are damn liars, and then there are statisticians!”
ReplyDeleteI am shocked considering our economic status….One question though…..isn’t this just the crimes that were “reported”? As we all know or should know… although statistics are a great source for understanding and explaining things, they are not always the answer to all problems. I am quite shocked to see the decrease in crime during poor economic times. Although the FBI annual report is an important source for crime details, it is included of “VOLUNTARY numbers submitted by 17,985 police departments, sheriff's offices and universities”. On another note, this is just crime in one area; I bet if you go to other places/cities in the country, you will find that there is an increase in criminal activity.
The boost in technology has helped both criminals and policing officials, I am just glad we are starting to use it to our advantage. Surveillance cameras are a useful tactic considering this gives the police a better understanding of what crime goes on when and where they are present on the street. It also can give officials the ability to catch the criminal once the crime is committed (that is if the crime was caught on tape- which is very unlikely considering criminals can tend to be smart and sneaky).
"Crime in Tuscaloosa dropped between 2008 and 2009, following a national trend that has baffled some experts."
ReplyDeleteThat's because everyone moved!! Okay, sorry, bad joke...but it made you snicker :)
I think poorer areas of the country have higher crime rates because the ability to keep those areas safe aren't backed financially. Money will go to the big cities and rich suburbs.
When city officials are elected into office, the focus is on "what they can do for our city?" Smaller cities in need of help are usually shuffled to the side because most of the attention is focused on BIG cities. Thus, crime escalates in cities not as noticed.
Why do I all of a sudden feel like a small fish in a big pond trying to change the world?
3. I can understand that crime is a series of events. Crime levels off, raises, or declines which benefits the community. However, where crime might fall it may raise in other areas. The FBI violent crimes reported a drop in reported crimes in 2009 and a drop in property crimes. Overall that is good, but what is this HOPE incentive, the article mentions the recession “poor economic times”, is the tax breaks for a Good Samaritan. We have to give people reasons/incentives to be good citizens not just scare them with prison or anything as such. “The numbers in Tuscaloosa County stayed relatively level, following a slow downward trend over the last few years”, whatever programs for crime prevention was instituted at this time should be worked on and developed more for the new age. I say work on it and apply the new developments of the programs because though the crime in Tuscaloosa hasn’t gone down it has leveled. The number of property crimes has increased by less than 100 reported crimes and most of the crime has been in theft. Hey police I has a solution that you may want to take with a grain of salt. Offer an incentive for people who follow the law, offer a class of some kind, give a way to the people so that if anything the rate stays the same and hopefully it declines. Giovanni Monsanto
ReplyDeleteMany There are some that are writing on how great it is that the crime level has decreased- I am not sure that you are aware of the crime that is not reported. Numbers can be manipulated in many ways to give someone the outcome that they want to display. Where crime decreases in one place, is likely to increase in another. Instead of focusing on one area, the focus needs to be on the country as a whole. Use whatever technology is needed to help catch people in the act of a crime, but remember whatever is being used by the police can also be used by the criminals. As the Christmas and shopping season is approaching, people need to be extra cautious and smart in surroundings and situations (don’t be like my cousin and grip when things get stolen out of your car (a flat screen TV) while it is sitting in the driveway of your house unlocked). Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to hear the positive things and it's good to know that crime rate is going down in such a bad economic time. I agree that our improvement and use of new technology has had a positive effect on deterring crime. I believe as the times change and technology improves it will only keep getting better.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we read the positive we also know there is negative too. These are just reports of the crimes that have been reported to the police. What about the crimes that all have gone unreported? There are several individuals who believe they do not have enough evidence, the crime isn't worthy of reporting, don't want the attention, and so on and never report their victimization.
If crime is really on the decline than that is awesome. I just don't know if I believe it really is. I mean technology is helping to fight crime but it is also helping continue crime. The unreported crimes, even the not yet noticed crimes are still out there. I think the technology we have is awesome and things will continue to improve as we move on but still there are things going on out there that we aren't seeing in these statistics.
ReplyDeleteLis S....
ReplyDeleteI must say that it is refreshing to know that crime is down. Or so it seems anyway. It is interesting that the crime rates would fall right now, when we are experiencing a tough economic time. Technology definitely makes a difference in combating crime. Like Cordell says, people might feel invaded because they are constantly being watched—but that is what needs to be done in order to keep the crime rates down. People will complain because they ae being watched and its and invasion of their rights but they will also complain when there are no measures being taken to prevent crime.
Knowing that the crime rate is decreasing is a great feeling, especially with the economy being so bad. The more technology we have I feel that the better it can be. But we cannot stop crime if we do not get involve in our community. People complain all the time about how crime is up, but we don’t realize that if we do not involve our self’s, things won’t change. Change is always good, just like how were doing in the airports. The more technology the more security.
ReplyDeleteOnly Americans would question crime going down, who cares just be happy it’s going down and not up. This article is making me think about moving to this place after being at Wesleyan University. At least I know no one will mess with my property like they do at this campus. However I do agree that it’s weird that the crime rate did go down considering the nation is suffering with money issues right now. That’s how gangs started, people need food and the government could not support every one. People started robbing and got into fights, granted we have come a long way since then. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense, sometimes it so expensive to be a criminal especially if you get caught you have all kinds of legal fees to pay. I wish the crime rate in Fort Worth would go down then life would be sweet. I wonder what they are going to do when the crime rate goes back up. Maybe this area has found the key to policing and are actually doing their job and deterring criminals. Whatever it is let’s just hope they don’t jinx themselves and something really bad happens.
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that the crime rate is dropping but you always have to remember the "dark figure of crime." Just how many crimes went unreported? I'm sure more than the national experts want to think about but they must be remembered before we automatically assume all crime is going to decrease. Hard economic times will always be a catalyst to criminal activity regardless of advances in technology. Sure it's a good idea and helps all of us other non-criminal citizens sleep good at night but true criminals aren't going to care at some point that they are being watched. We talked about this in criminal justice the other day that the "big brother" approach of surveillence works for a little while until you forget you're being watched.....or don't care who is watching you.
ReplyDeleteTechnology plays a part on why crime is down but its not the whole piece of the pie. You have a strong community networking with police officials. Community policing it does work. Think about it, if there are 500,000 people in 1 city and maybe a police dept with 500 employees? that makes 1000 people for 1 police officer to monitor. What if there is a riot? Police officials have to have a strong bond with the community to help protect their neighborhoods, their city. This will develop a type of deterrence for criminals. The deterrence may help to lower the amount of crime but realistically, crime will not ever go away. Man is to prone to be led by there emotions.
ReplyDeleteWith any statistical data regarding crime reports, it requires me to think consider what is not being reported. Even though a decrease is always a truimph I am curious to know where the usual offenders are engaged in at the moment. If this is truly what it is then maybe we can start focusing on the community and its people in order to raise up our integrity as a nation therefore directly impacting the obligatory norms of every member.
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