Dupont: May Crime Numbers Steady; Property Crime Up for Year

From Matty Rhoades

The number of crimes in Police Service Area (PSA) 208 in May was virtually identical compared to May 2010. On a year-over-year (YOY) basis, there were 198 crimes last month compared to 199 in May of last year. Violent crime decreased slightly while property crime increased slightly overall.

Year to date, violent crime in 208 is basically unchanged from the same period in 2010: there have been 119 violent crimes compared to 122 last year (January 1 to June 26 period). But, year to date, property crime is up 32%: 992 property crimes so far this year compared to 753 last year.

A big chunk of the increase is due to thefts from autos. There have been 398 so far this year compared to 228 in the same period of 2010. Burglaries have doubled from 49 in the January 1 to June 26 period of 2010 to 105 so far this year.

May Numbers

How do the May numbers compare to April and March in the Dupont area? In April, violent crime was steady from the previous year while property rose 31% YOY. In March, property crime increased 69% on a YOY basis from March 2010 in PSA 208. The most noticeable increase in March was in thefts from autos, which were up 146%; thefts and burglaries also increased in March.

May 2011 Decreases: There were decreases in robberies (15, down from 20 last year), thefts (75, down from last May’s 93) and stolen autos (eight last month, compared to 12 a year ago).

May 2011 Increases: The big increase was in thefts-from-autos (“smash and grabs”) — there were 75 last month compared to 57 in May 2010. Assaults were up slightly in May (nine last month compared to seven in May 2010). Burglaries were also up in 208 (16 compared to nine in May 2010).

PSA 208 covers the Dupont-Kalorama area. We compare crime statistics on a year-over-year basis by month; this helps account for seasonal differences in crime. All numbers are from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Crime Database.

The Trendline

What does the trendline show for PSA 208?

• May 2011: 198 crimes (24 of them violent crimes)
• May 2010: 199 crimes (28 of them violent crimes)
• May 2009: 194 crimes (29 of them violent crimes)
• May 2008: 203 crimes (21 of them violent crimes)

Specific Crimes in PSA 208

• Robberies were down. There were 15 robberies in PSA 208 in May (two with guns) compared to 20 in May 2010 (two with guns).
• Assaults were up slightly. There were nine assaults last month (one with a gun), compared to seven in May 2010 (none were with a gun).
• Gun crimes were up slightly; gun crimes are all crimes committed with guns. There were three last month compared to two in May 2010.
• There were no reported sex abuse crimes last month compared to one in May 2010.
• Burglaries were up significantly in PSA 208. There were 16 burglaries last month compared to nine in May 2010.
• Thefts were down. There were 75 thefts in 208 last month compared to 93 in May 2010.
• Thefts from autos (“smash and grabs”) were up in PSA 208. There were 75 last month compared to 57 in May 2010.
• The number of stolen autos was down. There were eight last month, compared to 12 in May 2010.

Below the fold: A look at May numbers for 2008 through 2011.

 

PSA 208 Crime Stats for May

Police Service Area 208
Year	Total Crimes	Violent Crimes	Property Crimes	Gun Crimes	Homicides
May 2011	198	24	174	3	0
May 2010	199	28	171	2	0
May 2009	194	29	165	6	0
May 2008	203	21	182	4	1

• Total Crimes are Violent and Property Crimes combined.
• Violent crimes are homicides, sex abuse, robbery excluding gun, robbery with gun, assault with dangerous weapon excluding gun and assault with dangerous weapon with gun.
• Property crimes are burglary, theft, theft from auto, stolen auto and arson.
• Gun Crimes are robberies and assaults committed with a gun. Gun crimes are counted here in Violent Crimes.
• Homicides are counted as part of Violent Crimes and were most likely committed with guns.
• All numbers are from the MPD Crime Database.