Harrisburg isn’t commonly known as a low-crime city, but it may be trending that way as overall crime has dropped for a third straight year.
In a press conference today, Mayor Eric Papenfuse stated that total crime dropped 17.7 percent last year compared to 2015. Violent crime fell 3.9 percent while nonviolent crime decreased 31.4 percent versus 2015.
Papenfuse attributed these statistics to Chief Thomas Carter’s leadership, the implementation of a community policing strategy and recruiting talented new hires.
“I think he has set the tone for our Police Department and, as a result, his strategies are effectively trickling down to everyone and the department is working more effectively than ever before,” Papenfuse said.
In 2016, an 18.47 percent drop in robbery led the decrease in crime compared to 2015. The city’s murder rate also fell. In 2016, Harrisburg recorded 16 murders, compared to 19 in 2015.
For 2016, auto theft was one of the few types of crime to experience an increase. Olivera said the 27.43 percent increase in auto theft reflected the past year’s cold winter when thieves take advantage of motorists warming up cars unsupervised.
Over the past three years, violent crime has dropped 27.5 percent, while nonviolent crime has fallen 29.6 percent.
Leading the violent crime category’s three-year drop is a 50.82 percent decrease in robberies and a 36.59 percent decline in burglaries.
All categories of violent crime except for rape saw a double-digit decrease when looking at the past three years. Capt. Gabriel Olivera credited a change in state law that affected how the city reported rapes to jump in reported rapes last year. When combined with the sexual offenses category, as was the method before the law change, the numbers show a modest increase.
“The 2016 numbers [on rape] will provide a good baseline when moving forward,” Papenfuse said.
Papenfuse credits the community policing model with proactively affecting crime rates.
“Community policing means developing relationships with the community in such a way that proactively prevents crime from happening,” Papenfuse said.
Nonviolent crimes, also termed “quality of life” crimes, decreased 31 percent, showing double-digit drops in every category except arson compared to last year. Theft-related charges, criminal mischief and drug-related charges decreased each by at least 20 percent.
“We see more businesses come into the community because they feel comfortable and safe,” Capt. Olivera said. “That benefits all of us.”
Arson increased 29 percent from 21 arsons in 2015 to 29 arsons last year. Papenfuse linked this with the “raging opioid epidemic” in the region. Those addicted to drugs will squat in abandoned properties and start fires.
The child abuse category has seen a 23 percent increase since 2013 and a 17 percent decrease since last year. Officials credit mandatory reporting laws created in reaction to Jerry Sandusky’s child abuse scandal as the reason for the three-year increase.
Papenfuse called these numbers “impressive,” while adding that “no one is satisfied with the current crime rate.”
This summer, the Bureau of Police is expected to add at least eight new police officers in addition to 10 officers added in January, Papenfuse said. The department is actively looking for two information-support officers to assist communication and data analysis.
Papenfuse noted that the city is funneling more resources into the Allison Hill and Uptown neighborhoods. Construction on an Allison Hill safety sub-station will begin this year. After the that sub-station is functional, the city will install one in the Uptown neighborhood.
Data from the City of Harrisburg shows an overall decrease in crimes from the past year and the past three years.
Find the City of Harrisburg’s crime data, including the above chart, here.
Author: Danielle Roth
