Baton Rouge residents have a good reason to feel safer than they have in years past.
According to crime figures released Monday by the Baton Rouge Police Department, major crime has declined for the third straight year.
Major crimes are murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.
After falling 8 percent in 2001 and 6 percent in 2002, crime fell more than 1 percent last year.
From 2002 to 2003, the largest declines were in the murder rate, which fell 31 percent, and in rape, which fell 12 percent.
In 2002, 59 murders were committed in the city of Baton Rouge. In 2003, only 41 murders were committed. This is the fewest number of murders that have occurred since 1989, when there also were 41 slayings.
“We’re thrilled,” said Cpl. Don Kelly of the Baton Rouge Police Department. “The citizens of the city can be proud of that.”
The department also was impressive in its clearance rates. Overall, 20.31 percent of all cases were resolved in 2003, compared to the national average of 18.40 percent.
“We can arrest the bad guys, put them in jail and keep them in jail,” Kelly said. “That’s good news any way you look at it.”
Kelly also complimented the District Attorney’s office for getting convictions, and the citizens for reporting crime when it happens.
The Baton Rouge figures do not include crimes that occur on the campuses of LSU or Southern University, since both have their own departments.
LSUPD has yet to release crime figures for 2003, but the total number of major crimes at LSU went up 4 percent in 2001 and 10.5 percent in 2002.
In 2002, the largest increases occurred in theft and auto theft.
Major Mark Shaw of the LSU Police Department said the 2003 figures for LSU should be available in the next month.
“They trend downward, and then they go up,” Shaw said. “It cycles.”
Shaw said that because LSU’s overall crime figures are low, statistical anomalies sometimes occur.
Shaw said one of the factors leading to the increase in 2002 was the fear surrounding the Baton Rouge serial killer. He said crimes were reported that would not have been reported in previous years.
“Sometimes, the problems of Baton Rouge spill over into campus,” Shaw said.
Shaw said LSU is like a city of 42,000 people – which would make it the 10th largest city in the state. Compared to a city that size, LSU’s crime figures are very low.
Because of the socioeconomic environment at universities, crime figures are usually much lower than cities of comparative populations, Shaw said.
“The environment we are in is conducive to reducing crime,” Shaw said.
LSU’s crime rate is on par with that of other universities of equal size, Shaw said. But he said many factors have to be taken into account when looking at the figures.
Shaw said a university like Arizona, which is located in the desert, has lower crime figures than LSU, while a university like Georgia Tech, which is located in downtown Atlanta and has no set boundaries, has a higher crime rate.
Shaw said it was likely all three departments are doing a good job.
The idea of gathering the figures is to spot trends in the crime rate and respond accordingly, Shaw said.
“The University is very proactive,” he said.
Shaw said it is not a cut and dry subject.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, any police department is judged by first preventing crime and second identifying who is responsible,” Kelly said.