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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Crime in Seattle hits 40 year low
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
1/17/2008 3:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
Jeff Kappel (206) 684-5520
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Crime in Seattle hits 40 year low
In 2007, major crimes dropped by 14% compared to 2006
SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels and Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske announced today Seattle’s crime rate hit a 40 year low in 2007 with major crimes down by 14 percent compared to 2006. The crime rate per 1,000 people for 2007 was 64, the lowest it has been since 1968 when it was 62 crimes per 1,000.
Read the 2007 City of Seattle Crime Statistics Overview - Acrobat PDF
“I’m proud to say we continue to live in one of the safest cities in the country,” Nickels said. “We are taking steps to lower those numbers more. We’re implementing our Neighborhood Policing Plan and increasing our patrol force 25 percent. I applaud the hard work of the men and women of the Seattle Police Department, along with the efforts of Seattle residents.”
“Our police officers and our community groups have worked tirelessly on our behalf, and it’s paid off,” said Councilmember Tim Burgess, chair of the Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee.
All major crimes have decreased as follows:
• Murder down 20 percent
• Rape down 28 percent
• Robbery down 9 percent
• Aggravated Assault down 12 percent
• Burglary down 20 percent
• Larceny/theft down 7 percent
• Vehicle theft down 29 percent
In 2007, Seattle had the fewest violent crimes and the lowest violent crime rate in the last
10 years. Property crimes have shown a similar trend, posting the lowest total and lowest rate in the last 10 years.
Last year, Seattle experienced 24 murders, a 25 percent drop from five years ago. That is far below similar-sized cities: Boston had 66 murders; Milwaukee had 105; Washington, D.C. had 181.
The decrease in vehicle thefts was particularly impressive, nearly doubling the decline seen in 2006 - a 29 percent decrease in 2007 compared with 15 percent in 2006. The number of vehicle thefts in 2007 - 5,772 - was the lowest since 1988, when 5,739 vehicle thefts were reported.
“The drop in vehicle thefts is the direct result of our stepped-up efforts,” Kerlikowske said. “Our Major Crimes Task Force has developed and uses innovative ways to catch car thieves. And Seattle and King County have made it a priority to prosecute auto thefts.”
After several years of increases, aggravated assaults posted a double-digit decrease in 2007. Assaults with firearms were also down by 18 percent. Robberies, which posted a 4 percent increase in 2006, were down nearly 9 percent. Keeping pace, strong-arm robberies were down 11 percent and robberies with firearms were down 3 percent.
Despite the drop, Nickels cautioned Seattle still has a problem. “While the numbers are headed in the right direction, there’s still much more to do,” said Nickels. “When 17- and 14-year-olds are shot and killed, something is terribly wrong. It shouldn’t be easier for a teenager to get a gun than a driver’s license. We must do more to reduce gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of teenagers.”
Nickels noted the city of Seattle can’t end this problem alone. “We need the entire community - neighborhoods, churches, schools - to join forces and work together toward a solution that gives all of our children a chance to build a better life.”
Gun violence, whether self-inflicted or inflicted by others, remains a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, claiming nearly 30,000 lives each year. In 2006, firearms were involved in 3,988 violent crimes in Washington state, including 57 percent of all homicides.
“The difficult reality from Seattle to Spokane is this: criminals have little trouble getting their hands on guns, but if local communities try to stop them, our hands are tied. That must change,” Nickels said. “The new legislative session is under way and we’ll be asking state lawmakers to give us the tools we need to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands. We must all work together to reduce gun violence,” Nickels said.
The city of Seattle has been actively working on local, regional and national strategies to reduce gun violence. On Dec. 3, 2007, Seattle and the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center hosted a one-day gun violence prevention summit. It drew more than 160 participants from around the state, including police, prosecutors, school officials, and representatives from the faith community, as well as local and state government. Following the summit, Nickels announced Seattle will join other communities around Washington to form a coalition to reduce gun violence in our state.
In addition, Nickels is a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is promoting federal legislation to assist law enforcement in combating gun trafficking. The Seattle Police Department has taken a leading role in working with local and federal law enforcement agencies to fight gun crime.
Nickels has urged lawmakers in Olympia to ban assault weapons, close the gun show loophole that allows criminals to buy weapons without background checks, deny guns to anyone who has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility and require trigger locks and safe storage of firearms.
Visit the mayor’s Web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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