Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What is going on in Durham that is so out of control? It seems like every day I read about more crime. I'm relatively new to the area, can someone help me understand how this got to the point that it is, and why is it so hard to fix?
[url=http://www.wral.com/durham-police-chief-forced-out-as-city-manager-calls-for-new-leadership/14901037/]Durham police chief forced out after 'spike in violent crime,' unhappiness :: WRAL.com[/url]
Crime is down overall in the country, dramatically. Especially violent crime. I saw some statistic that the violent crime rate in the US has dropped around 40% since the 70s. And crime in the Triangle is much lower than in similar cities in the country.
Even if there are year-to-year spikes in crime, the overall trend is down, by a lot. And the crime rate is lower here already than in a lot of places. poppydog is right, the news likes to talk about crime. And who can blame them? That's what gets people interested. Just remember that these short-term crime stories are like weather. It fluctuates a lot. The overall crime rate is like climate, longer-term trends that follow reliable patterns and take a long time to change.
Pay less attention to daily weather fluctuations, and more to the overall direction the climate is taking.
Sure, but I mean how often does the chief of police get fired for, as the article puts it, a spike in violent crime over the last couple of years in Durham? Sorry for the link formatting something isn't working for me there.
The police chief got fired because of what happened with the police force under his leadership, not any increase in crime. Read about the death of Jesus Huerta in police custody and the recent tazing of a young unarmed black guy in the middle of Harris Teeter. http://www.indyweek.com/news/archive...e-lopez-is-out
The police chief got fired because of what happened with the police force under his leadership, not any increase in crime. Read about the death of Jesus Huerta in police custody and the recent tazing of a young unarmed black guy in the middle of Harris Teeter. Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez is out | News | Indy Week
Exactly. He is being forced out because community relations with Police in Durham are at an all time low and he has a fortress mentality.
Sure, but I mean how often does the chief of police get fired for, as the article puts it, a spike in violent crime over the last couple of years in Durham? Sorry for the link formatting something isn't working for me there.
The article cherry picked a two year period and a couple of crime categories to note an increase. Overall, crime has been trending steadily downward in Durham during Chief Lopez's tenure. My point is not to endorse the Chief but rather to point out that you should consider far more than the rather selective data in the article to look at the truth about crime trends in Durham.
I live in Durham.
The local police station is about 8 miles away.
Generally don't see a patrol car unless something is going on.
Last year, our development had a rash of 5 or 6 smash and grab break-ins at home here in a 2 week period.
Crooks knocked on doors or rang the bell.
If no one answered, they broke the door in and entered.
My neighbor next door had a break in just after dark one night.
I heard absolutely nothing and surely wasn't expecting a robbery.
The robbers used pillow cases to steal cash and jewelry, small valuables, things that they could grab and get out with fast. Neighbors had a 30K ring stolen.
Directly across the street from me there is a State trooper. His wife is a local police officer. His patrol vehicle was parked in front of his house. Did not deter the crooks one bit.
The cops placed a decoy police car in our neighborhood as a deterrent.
I heard fire engines the next night.
Yep....the bad guys torched the cop car and all that was left was a smoldering, blackened wreck.
Retalliation? Probably.
Bad guys are prevalent everywhere, but when they find easy marks and unprotected areas, they take advantage.
Exactly. He is being forced out because community relations with Police in Durham are at an all time low and he has a fortress mentality.
I am in no way qualified to answer but oftentimes poor community relations can affect crime rates. People don't talk, retribution is sought, more tit for tat instead of arrests being made.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
