Los Angeles:
Today, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief William Bratton will
be a guest speaker at the National Violent Crime Summit in Washington,
D.C.
Bratton and other participants, which include representatives of the
McCain and Obama campaigns, along with 180 police chiefs and other
leaders will cover a wide variety of law enforcement issues at the
annual summit. Sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF),
also in Washington, D.C., the summit’s theme is “Crime, the Economy,
and a New President.” These topics include an update of violent crime
statistics through mid-year 2008, the impact of the economic crisis on
policing and the establishment of priorities for the next U.S.
President and the new Congress.
To prepare for the Summit, PERF conducted a survey of more than 200 law
enforcement agencies regarding their crime statistics for the first six
months of 2008, as well as new initiatives they have undertaken to
reduce crime. The survey also included questions about whether the
weakening economy has affected crime patterns and/or police budgets.
More complete information about the survey findings and the event is
available in the attached press release from PERF. Additional
information about the PERF organization may also be found at www.policeforum.org.
OBAMA AND McCAIN CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS CRIME AND THE ECONOMY WITH POLICE LEADERS
(October 7, 2008, Washington, D.C.)—Representatives
of the McCain and Obama campaigns will meet with a group of 180 police
chiefs and other leaders tomorrow at a Summit organized by the Police
Executive Research Forum (PERF), a research and consulting firm and
membership organization of local and state police officials.
The topic of the Summit is “Crime, the Economy, and a New President.”
Police chiefs, mayors, and others in attendance will evaluate the most
recent crime trend information as well as crime reduction strategies
being implemented by local police—with a special focus on how the
weakening economy is affecting police agencies and crime patterns.
The Presidential campaign officials will be asked to respond to this
information and describe how a President McCain or President Obama
would deal with the issue of local crime control in a time of economic
crisis, shrinking local tax bases, and reduced police budgets.
Representing the Obama campaign will be Eric Holder, Deputy Attorney
General in the Clinton Administration (the second-highest ranking
position in the Justice Department), and Laurie Robinson, Assistant
Attorney General in the Clinton Administration.
Representing the McCain campaign will be George J. Terwilliger III,
Deputy Attorney General in the George H.W. Bush Administration, and
Manus Cooney, former Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S.
Senate Judiciary Committee.
SURVEY REVEALS CHIEFS’ CONCERN ABOUT THE ECONOMY
To prepare for the Summit, PERF conducted a survey of more than 200 law
enforcement agencies regarding their crime statistics for the first six
months of 2008, as well as new initiatives they have undertaken to
reduce crime. The survey also included questions about whether the
weakening economy has affected crime patterns and/or police budgets.
The survey was conducted in the last week of July—after the collapse of
Bear Stearns and the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts, but prior to
the news of the crisis hitting Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG,
Washington Mutual, and Wachovia and the recent passage of a
$700-billion financial industry rescue bill.
At that time--as the economic troubles were just beginning to cause a
widespread sense of alarm--45 percent of the police agencies surveyed
said that recent changes in the national economy had already impacted
their ability to reduce crime. About the same percentage (43 percent)
said that the faltering economy had affected their ability to deliver
services.
In addition, 39 percent of the responding agencies said they had
experienced a decrease in their operating budgets during the last
budget cycle. Because local police agencies are funded largely through
property taxes and other local taxes, reductions in property
assessments and a slowdown in the economy can quickly affect police
budgets.
For example, when asked whether increased home foreclosure rates had
affected their department, 39 percent responded in the affirmative. For
example, police in some jurisdictions said that foreclosures had caused
a loss in tax revenue, and also that they were finding that abandoned
homes are being used for parties by youths. In Fort Wayne, Ind., and
other locations, police said that vacant homes are being burglarized
for copper pipes. Police in Santa Ana, Calif. said that their city has
the largest numbers of foreclosures in the county, and that vacant
homes were attracting transients, gang members, and prostitutes, and
were causing a general sense of neighborhood disorder. Phoenix police
said that a decrease in sales tax revenue was directly tied to a
decrease in police funding, and Prince William County, Va. police said
that vacant homes are being used as “flop houses.”
Those jurisdictions, as well as others that reported crime problems
stemming from foreclosures, such as Indio, Calif.; Lawrence, Mass.;
Sacramento, Calif.; and West Palm Beach, Fla.; will have
representatives attending the PERF Summit.
Two-thirds of the responding agencies also said they had been affected
by increases in the cost of gasoline and other forms of energy. And 66
percent of the agencies said they had taken steps to lessen the impact,
through such measures as tightening rules on officers’ use of take-home
cars or increasing use of bicycle or foot patrols.
Other findings from PERF’s survey include the following:
- Immigration cited as top priority for new federal
legislation: PERF’s survey asked police executives, “If you were
advising the next President on how to help local police with federal
policies aside from financial assistance, what would be the one or two
most important issues you would like to see addressed?” The top issue,
cited by approximately one-third of the respondents, was addressing
illegal immigration and/or securing the nation’s borders. Other
responses included: providing help in dealing with gangs; improved
communications and information-sharing among law enforcement agencies;
greater partnerships among police agencies at all levels and increased
assistance from federal agencies; gun control and enforcement,
especially restoring a ban on assault weapons; increased federal
prosecutions; increased prison capacity; and generally improving the
economy.
- Crime levels appear to remain on an overall
downward trend. Among PERF’s sample of 56 agencies that has served as
an accurate bellwether over the last few years, total crime levels
declined in every category during the first six months of 2008,
compared to the first six months of 2007. Murders declined 10.5
percent; rapes, 5.5 percent; robberies, 3.3 percent; and aggravated
assaults, 4.2 percent.
- However, crime reductions are by
no means universal in 2008. Crime continues to be a “tale of two
cities.” While overall crime totals were down, many agencies reported
increases in the first six months of 2008. For example, 31 percent of
agencies reported increases in murder; 42 percent reported increases in
rape; 43 percent reported increases in robbery; 36 percent reported
increases in aggravated assault; 39 percent reported increases in
aggravated assault with a firearm; 47 percent reported increases in
burglary; 44 percent reported increases in thefts; 24 percent reported
increases in motor vehicle theft; and 37 percent reported increases in
arson.
- Furthermore, U.S. crime rates remain
unacceptably high compared to other industrialized countries. For
example, on average, every day across the 27 European Union Countries,
with a total population of 497 million, 8 people are murdered. By
contrast, 47 people are murdered on an average day in the United
States, which has a much smaller population of 305 million.
-
When asked whether they had experienced a particularly violent week or
weekend during 2008, 35 percent of agencies responded in the
affirmative. Police agencies said they have undertaken a variety of
countermeasures. For example, Chicago police redeployed sworn officers
who had been working in administrative positions to neighborhoods
experiencing increased violence. Boston flooded violent crime hot spots
with increased patrols, warrant sweeps, and increased enforcement.
-
When responding police agencies were asked to cite the top factors that
they believe are contributing to violent crime in their jurisdictions,
the top factor, cited by 82 percent of agencies, was gangs, followed by
juvenile crime (80 percent); “impulsive violence/disrespect issues” (74
percent); poverty/unemployment (74 percent); and the release of large
numbers of offenders from correctional facilities back into the
community (69 percent).
PERF is a membership organization of police executives from the largest
city, county and state law enforcement agencies. For additional
information, go to www.policeforum.org.
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