PORT ANGELES — Reports of major crime were down overall on the North Olympic Peninsula in 2008 from 2007, according to recently released statistics from the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.
But sheriffs in both Clallam and Jefferson counties said crime is creeping up in 2009.
“Calls for 2009 are a little bit up compared to ’08,” Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said.
Said Jefferson County Sheriff Tony Hernandez: “With the economy, we’re seeing property crime creeping back up.
“These are hard times, and some people are getting desperate.”
Neither had figures compiled for the first half of 2009.
The only increase on the Peninsula was in Sequim, which saw a 108 percent spike in violent crime.
That reflected a jump from 12 to 25 reports in 2008.
“Because the numbers are so small, they can be skewed,” Benedict said.
In 2008, Clallam County saw a 5 percent dip in property crimes reported — from 2,004 to 1,910 — and no change in violent crimes, with 182 reported in 2007 and 2008, according to the report released in May.
Total felony crime reports in Clallam County fell 4.3 percent, from 2,186 to 2,092.
Jefferson County saw a 32.5 percent drop in violent crimes reported — from 77 to 52 — and a 10 percent ebb in property crime, from 908 to 814.
Total felony crime reports in Jefferson County fell 12.1 percent, from 985 to 866.
“I like to think it’s because we’re doing a good job,” Hernandez said.
Auto thefts
Auto thefts saw a significant drop in both counties.
Reports of vehicle thefts were down 31 percent in Clallam County, from 120 to 83, and 47 percent in Jefferson County, from 36 to 19.
“We did have a focus in 2007 on auto thefts,” said Benedict, whose jurisdiction saw double-digit declines in crime.
Benedict attributed the decrease to the “effectiveness of neighborhood watches and the citizens of the community helping us.”
Public outreach efforts have stressed hardening targets by locking doors and removing valuables from cars, especially at night.
Hernandez said the key was directing law enforcement to recognized crime areas.
“Sometimes we find, too, a few people committing a large number of crimes in a rural area,” Hernandez said.
“We’ve actually had a high clearing rate with key individuals mainly responsible for a large number of property crimes.”
A sheriff’s office patrols county lands except those within a city limit.
The Peninsula-wide decrease in auto thefts topped a statewide drop of 25 percent in 2008.
View objectively
Since some crimes are not reported and some reported crimes are not prosecuted, the statistics have to be viewed objectively, Benedict said.
“I don’t consider a 5 percent decrease statistically significant, although it’s nice to see a downward trend,” Benedict said.
“It only goes by reported crime.”
Benedict said Clallam County compares favorably to other counties of similar size.
Thirty major crimes were reported for every 1,000 residents in both Clallam and Jefferson counties. That compares with 40 crimes reported per 1,000 Washington residents.
Crime statistics were not provided by the Lower Elwha, Makah, Hoh or Quileute tribes.
The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe was not categorized in the state Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs data.
In 2009, Hernandez said the North Olympic Peninsula is feeling the effects of a national trend toward higher instances of property crime.
“We’re not immune from the economy,” he said.
“We’re certainly getting the ripple effects. It’s nothing alarming. It’s just consistent with the trends going on in other areas.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
