Owensboro’s property crime rates double national average

September 16, 2019 | 3:30 am

Updated September 16, 2019 | 9:50 pm

The property crime rate in Owensboro is nearly double the national average, with the city seeing an increase in burglaries, larcenies and car thefts over the last couple of years. Even with the high number of property crimes, Owensboro Police Department statistics reveal that these cases are solved far more often than in other places across the nation, even with an understaffed presence on the streets.

While there’s no easy answer as to why crime rates increase, officials say drug use and a low unemployment rate may be two contributors that lead to a high property crime rate in the local area.

Comparing the most recent data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to statistics from OPD, shows Owensboro has 2.2 percent more property crimes. The FBI’s national average sits at 2.36 percent, with Owensboro’s at 4.56 percent.

Some officials believe Owensboro’s influx of methamphetamine is directly related to crime, but
President/CEO of the Greater Economic Development Corporation Brittaney Johnson said a low unemployment rate, which is usually looked at positively, can be a sign of concern.

“Usually, rising wages are great, but with a low unemployment rate, wage inflation is not good,” she said. “When there is an increased demand for labor, because of low unemployment, less people are available for work, employers increase wages to find and keep employees. The labor market will eventually reach a point that each additional job add will not create enough productivity to cover the cost of the job.”

OPD Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess said when comparing Owensboro data, it is important to realize the FBI calculates statistics “per 100,000 people,” when Owensboro doesn’t even have a population of that size.

Still, he said, if Owensboro’s property crime is higher than the national average, it’s important to see that many more property crimes in Owensboro are cleared in comparison to other property crimes across the nation. OPD’s clearance rate for these crimes came in at 46 percent in 2017, compared to only 18 percent clearance across the rest of the country.

“There’s a lot of variations in how these statistics are taken — population sizes, differences in how crimes are reported, the number of unlocked vehicles we see here,” Boggess said.

In 2017, OPD investigated 2,005 reports of larceny, 434 reports of burglary and 274 motor vehicle thefts. Those property crime numbers showed an overall increase for 2018, leading to 2,042 reports of larceny, 468 reports of burglary and 263 motor vehicle thefts.

“It’s hard to explain crime trends crime trends,” Johnson said. “I do not feel there is a single effect of the economy and crime. Economists seem to think that better economic times and low unemployment rates cause the increase in crime rates. Individuals have more disposable income to spend, therefore, there are more items to steal. Better economic times also create more demand for drugs and alcohol, and you could argue that violence accompanies the consumption of those two items.”

Officials cite hearing Owensboro’s high property crime rates and drug abuse is related to lack of entertainment,to which Johnson says is due in large part to Owensboro’s low cost of living.

“Owensboro’s cost of living is 15 percent lower than the national average,” she said. “It is difficult to find a city that is affordable to live in and has the amazing list of assets and benefits of a larger metro area.”

Johnson said it’s important to understand the bigger picture as many things can leave an effect on a city’s crime rate. With high unemployment, increased drug use, and an understaffed but very efficient police department, there’s no easy answers for why property crimes are so prevalent here.

“Poverty, parental neglect, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse can be connected to why people break the law,” she said. “Many people need to be engaged and empowered in the hope they would be contributing members of society.”

September 16, 2019 | 3:30 am

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