City's annual crime report a statistical seesaw

Thefts from cars again big problem

By Phil Pfuehler

Overall crime dropped 8.4% last year in River Falls. The year before it jumped 17.4%. Before that it dropped 8.8%, then jumped back 18.2%, then plunged 24.4%. You get the idea.

"On the whole we have a relatively small number of crimes, and it doesn't take a lot to skew the statistics from year to year," Police Chief Roger Leque said.

Ten years ago Leque, then a sergeant, arrested two men who had broken into more than 75 cars during an 8-month period.

"An active individual or core group can really make a difference in a small town," Leque said.

Another huge factor is ShopKo. Leque said arrests at the big discount store, usually for shoplifting, contribute as much as a fourth of all arrests.

Still, for a city of 12,000, River Falls has a higher crime rate index than other similar-size Wisconsin cities.

Leque traced much of that to geography.

"Instead of bordering other suburbs, we're surrounded by rural areas and that draws in other people, kind of like a hub," Leque said. "A lot of people committing crimes are from outside River Falls, and that includes many of those arrested at ShopKo."

Leque added the university also swells the city's size and draws many visitors, which also expands opportunities for crime.

The just-released 1998 crime data for River Falls also show adult arrests, which dropped 17% the year before, shot up 26.8% last year. Police arrested 1,108 adults last year, compared to 874 the year before.

Two big reasons: adults arrested for liquor violations went up from 268 to 484, and those arrested for drunk driving went up from 74 to 94. Adult drug arrests also rose from 12 to 22.

By contrast, juvenile arrests, which had been rising steadily this decade, dropped 16.6% last year. Police arrested 412 juveniles last year, compared to 494 the year before.

Even with this decline, juvenile liquor arrests jumped from 51 to 86. Burglary arrests also went up, from 17 to 23.

However, there was a sharp drop in juvenile theft arrests (112 to 76), and drops in juvenile vandalism arrests (25 to 9), and for curfew violations (33 to 17).

Despite the drop in juvenile arrests, Leque said one year won't reverse the decade-old trend. He called the hikes in alcohol-related offenses for adults and juveniles disturbing.

"It's a concern because alcohol comes into play for other incidents like domestic abuse, vandalism and theft," he said. "It's a pretty frequent offense.

Thefts in River Falls dropped from 597 to 530, but - as in past years - stealing from vehicles dominates the picture. Last year 96 vehicle thefts resulted in nearly a $25,000 property loss. Bicycle thefts also added up: last year 90 were stolen for a $20,458 property loss

Leque said during last few years bikes have become a more tempting target.

"You have more high-end bikes on the market in the $300-$400 range," he said. "That makes them a hotter commodity, more desired by thieves."

Leque advised bike owners to buy the best possible locks, and be careful where a bike is parked, stored and who else uses it.

"You should also register your bikes at the (police department)," he said. "It only costs $2 and if we recover the bike, that makes it easier to return to the right owner."

Leque said much local crime involves vehicles. He offered several ways to prevent this.

1) Always lock your doors. Leque said that's the best deterrent because it prevents most thieves from rummaging inside for valuables. "Don't give them that easy access by leaving doors unlocked," he said.

2) Don't leave valuables - such as cell phones, purses, CD cases - in your vehicle, especially in plain view. "These attract (thieves), and then they come in and maybe steal the car stereo," Leque said. He added people should remove their belongings from vehicles, or, if one is available, put them in the trunk. "Trunks are rarely broken into," he said.

3) At night, try to park near or under a street light. "Criminals don't like to operate in the light," Leque said.

If you have property stolen, the odds of getting it back aren't good. Last year police had a recovery rate of 31%, which is up from the 1997 rate of 27%, but under the state average of 54%.

Leque said this low rate is mainly due to the nature of local crime. Once stolen, bikes and small items from cars disappear fast and are hard to recover.

Last year in River Falls, the amount of stolen property totaled $222,550 -$69,405 worth of property was later recovered. Stolen items ranged from cars, cell phones and TVs to stereos, cash and guns.

Fewer burglaries were committed last year, the number dropping from 54 to 44. Most of last year's burglaries - 28 - were done against businesses.

Violent crime was actually up 75% last year, but that says more about the city's low crime rate leading to wild fluctuations.

Last year there were only 7 cases of violent crime, but that compares to just 4 cases in 1997. In 1996 there were 9 violent crime cases, so the rate had dropped 56% before swinging back to a 75% jump this year.

Last year was a safer year for patrolling police officers - none were assaulted, compared to four assaults in 1997.