Burleson’s crime rates fall while the city grows

by PegNews wire

Burleson is growing, but crime is not, according to statistics from 2008 compiled by the Burleson Police Department. Police Chief Tom Cowan presented fourth quarter and year-end statistics to the Burleson City Council on Feb. 2.

The city grew by 1,600 residents between 2007 and 2008 but the number of crimes per capita for Part I crimes went down 9 percent for 2008. The disparity between the two years was widest during the second quarter when crime was down 23 percent. Statistics show crime was down 13 percent for the first quarter and 3 percent for the third quarter. Crime was up 3 percent for the fourth quarter.

Part II crimes decreased 7 percent between 2007 and 2008. The widest margin was during the second quarter when Part II crimes were down 14 percent. Part II crimes did not increase in comparing 2007 and 2008 statistics.

Part I crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Part II crimes include arson, assault, harassment, forgery, vandalism, drug law violations, fraud, kidnapping, sex offenses, stolen property, weapon violations, curfew, disorderly conduct, driving while intoxicated, liquor laws, non-violent family offenses, runaways and criminal trespassing.

Arrests for the year were down a little more than 10 percent for both adults and juveniles. The only increase for 2008 came in the fourth quarter when DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrests increased 6.5 percent for adults.

There is good news on the traffic front as well. In comparing 2007 statistics to 2008, all traffic accidents, including injury accidents, non-injury accidents and fatalities, were down more than 19 percent.

There were four fatality accidents in 2008. Of the accidents with injuries on major thoroughfares, in looking at one dozen locations, the number of accidents were down at all but three sites. Those three sites with increases in traffic accidents include Alsbury Boulevard between I-35W and Renfro Street, Wilshire Boulevard between the I-35W split and Renfro Street, and Wilshire Boulevard between Elk Drive and the Joshua city limits.

Source: Burleson