Crime Index in Maine (Portland, Lewiston: crime rates, house, buy)

[Elcarim]

Now, I can't believe that the crime index in Eastport is 5, and the Maine average is only 1. That somehow seems impossible to me, knowing what type of community Eastport is.

Now if you told me it's 5 in Portland or Lewiston, I'd understand.

Could this be accurate???

Eastport Schools

[mainer2]

Eastport and washington county come up as the highest crime in the area due to the horrific drug issues here. It's got to be mostly domestic assault...which is considered violent crime. I've never seen violent crime in the nearly 7 years I've lived here and work w/ the public in Washington county. I think they drink maybe get high..then fight. If you don't hang out in those crowds...you don't have anything at all to worry about. You don't have to lock your doors on the house or cars there.

[mollysmiles]

that's not why.....


El the crime index is determined by the number of reports received into a police dept by the public on certain crimes only. Not all crimes qualify to be part of the "crime index", and not all reports have to be followed by arrests or convictions. So, is it fair to say that Eastport's crime index is high because reporting on particular crimes, including burglary, is up? My friends at the PD think that might be a very fair thing to say

[forest beekeeper]

I have no idea.

Do they have a weekly drive-by shooting?
Weekly child abductions?
Two to four stabbings each week?
A dozen rapes each week?
Carjackings?
Weekly arson?

The last town that we lived in had each of those things every week.

The city before that had each of those things every night. EVERY NIGHT!
I spoke with the coroner orderlies one evening, they drove a 2 ton refrigerated box van, they drove it around the city all night picking up bodies, and they did not go back to the coroner's office until the end of each shift, because they knew that every hour would be calls to different locations to pick-up more bodies. So they never made any attempt to haul them to the office until the end of their shift. Then the on-coming shift would go out making pick-ups in their own van, and the off-going shift could go back to the office and un-load.

That was high crime rate.

[rico304]

Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed


Many of the crime reports you read are done on a percentage of people in the town. High percentage might mean there are only 2 couples in town. One has a domestic assault, that is 50%.
When you look at actual numbers it will show what you are looking for. I tried to attach a site that shows how this system works. The high percentage could only be for the year showing as neither couple fights next year and the percentage drops to zero%. People look at it and wonder how it can drop 50% in one year??????? haha
Not sure, but this may be how they get that number 5

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I have no idea.

Do they have a weekly drive-by shooting?
Weekly child abductions?
Two to four stabbings each week?
A dozen rapes each week?
Carjackings?
Weekly arson?

The last town that we lived in had each of those things every week.

The city before that had each of those things every night. EVERY NIGHT!
I spoke with the coroner orderlies one evening, they drove a 2 ton refrigerated box van, they drove it around the city all night picking up bodies, and they did not go back to the coroner's office until the end of each shift, because they knew that every hour would be calls to different locations to pick-up more bodies. So they never made any attempt to haul them to the office until the end of their shift. Then the on-coming shift would go out making pick-ups in their own van, and the off-going shift could go back to the office and un-load.

That was high crime rate.

Forest - sounds just like Miami-Dade. This is what I see on my nightly news, crazy place!

[AliceT]

Actually.... I found the same thing after I left the farming community in FL. I looked up the zip code in every city I had lived or worked in and I was shocked to see some of the crime rates were 6 and/or 7. No way! Drugs. Where there is a drug problem, there is a crime problem. They go hand in hand.

Reminds me of a time a police officer came to my door. (Long and sad story I will omit, but he needed me to identify a body) I went with the deputy in his vehicle and shortly after we hit the paved road, he turned into an orange grove and went through the rows to a small lake, then drove around the lake. I was astounded that this dirt-farm county had a need for high-powered, 4x4 police vehicles.

I mentioned the incident later at work, still astonished at where this police vehicle could go (think beach - the whole sate of FL is made of sugar sand). I told my colleague I was bewildered by the apparent need for these vehicles - particularly in an area dominated by poor dirt farmers. Without pausing, my colleague asked, "And what do you suppose the #1 cash crop is?"

Doh! Until that moment, it had never occurred to me.

But yeah, you can blame it on drugs, the drug trade and all crimes associated with it - to include domestic disturbances.

[flycessna]

I do not want to rain on Maine. Maine is a safe state....especially when looking at violent crime. But Maine is a poor state also...alcahol, drug, and domestic abuse are a real problem here. Subsequently there is a lot of petty crime. I grew up in Mass....when ever I compare one of the towns outside boston to a town in Maine..9/10 times the mass town has a lower crime rate. But as a state mass has much more violent crime. Mainly because of the really bad areas of boston and other major cities. But one factor to consider is even when you look at a place like eastport...even though it is small it is still the major city for that area and as such is going to be the place to drink, buy drugs, find a prostitute ect. Albeit I doubt Eastport is a place I'd want to lock my doors when I drive through it. Those towns ouside of Boston are nothing but bedroom communitites.

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I have no idea.

Do they have a weekly drive-by shooting?
Weekly child abductions?
Two to four stabbings each week?
A dozen rapes each week?
Carjackings?
Weekly arson?

The last town that we lived in had each of those things every week.

Sounds like Houston! I just can't imagine Eastport comparing!

[Petertherock]

Just last night (Saturday night-Sunday morning) Biddeford PD was looking for 2 people who did a home invasion. The two were armed with guns, stole more guns in the robbery, and then stole the guys pick up truck. They recovered the truck but I don't believe they caught the suspects.