Logan Circle Crime Steady Except for Smash and Grabs

From Matty Rhoades

For the first six months of 2011, the number of crimes in the Logan Circle area was steady in most categories compared to the same period of 2010 — with the exception of thefts from autos (“smash and grabs”).

The huge rise in this single category drove up the crime rate in the Logan Circle area. Smash and grabs are the most common type of crime in the Borderstan area, so a large rise in this category can easily drive up the overall rate.

Police Service Area (PSA) 307 covers the Logan Circle neighborhood. All numbers are from the MPD Crime Database.

Detailed crime numbers for Logan Circle are below the fold. The Dupont Circle numbers were reported last week and the citywide numbers were detailed earlier this month.

Six-Month Numbers for Logan Circle

For the January through June period, there were 62 violent crimes in PSA 307, the same as in the first six months of 2010. Robberies decreased from 45 to 40 for the comparable six-month period. However, the number of assaults rose from 11 to 18. Gun crimes rose slightly from 10 in the January to June period of 2010 to 12 this year. Gun crimes are all crimes (usually robberies and assaults) committed with guns.

There were 308 property crimes in the first six months of 2011 in PSA 307, up from 222 in the same period of 2010. This was due to the huge rise in the number of smash and grabs. There were declines in the number of burglaries and stolen autos while thefts were up slightly.

Three-Year Trend: 2008 to 2011

What does the three-year trend for the January through June period in PSA 307 show?

• 2008 versus 2011: Violent crime down 14%.
• Property crime down 21% from 2008 to 2011 for first six months of the year.
• Total crime — property and violent crime combined — down 20%.
• The number of robberies (with and without a gun) are down 16% since 2008. 
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon has is down 18% since 2008.
• Gun crime — robberies and assaults involving guns — have increased 71% from seven to 12 gun crimes.

Crime in Police Service Area 307: January 1 through June 30
Crime Type	2008	2009	2010	2011	% Change 2010 to 2011	% Change 2008 to 2011
Homicide	0	0	0	1	No change	N/A
Sex Abuse	1	3	6	3	Down 50%	Up 200%
Robbery without Gun	43	41	36	30	Down 17%	Down 30%
Robbery with Gun	5	25	9	10	Up 11%	Up 100%
Assault with Dangerous Weapon (no gun)	20	23	10	16	Up 60%	Down 20%
Assault with Dangerous Weapon (with gun)	2	4	1	2	Up 11%	No change
Total Violent Crime	71	97	62	62	No change	Down 14%
Burglary	42	43	26	25	Down 4%	Down 40%
Theft	105	165	99	105	Up 6%	No change
Theft from Auto	202	240	73	159	Up 118%	Down 21%
Stolen Auto	43	38	24	18	Down 25%	Down 58%
Arson	0	0	0	1	NA	NA
Total Property Crime	392	486	222	308	Up 39%	Down 21%
TOTAL CRIME	463	583	284	370	Up 30%	Down 20%