The state attorney general’s annual crime report, released last week,
spotlighted the fact that the state’s serious-crime rate for 1999 was down 9.5
percent from 1998.
All four of Hawai`i’s biggest counties, including
Kaua`i, recorded downward crime rates for 1999.
“Crime in Hawai’i” further
revealed that the 1999 statewide numbers were 33.2 percent below the 15-year
high set in 1995, and were at the lowest point since the state began collecting
crime data in 1975.
In 1999, the statewide rate for index crimes (murder,
forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft,
larceny theft and arson) was 4,835 offenses per 100,000 residents.
Kaua’i’s
rate for index crimes – 3,672 reported offenses per 100,000 residents – was the
lowest in the state for 1999.
“While there is never a single, clear
explanation for fluctuations in the crime rate, efforts made in the criminal
justice system and especially in the community should be applauded,” state
attorney general Earl Anzai stated.
Hawaii’s overall violent crime rate
fell 5 percent in 1999. Property crime drops made up the rest of the record
year’s decrease.
The murder rate in 1999 statewide did rise, due mainly to
a streak of offenses including the Byron Uyesugi case (the Xerox killer who
murdered seven co-workers) on Oahu.
On Kaua`i, where six murders took place
in 2000, the reminder that there were no murders on Kaua`i in 1999 was
bittersweet.
The overall index crime rate on Kaua`i decreased 9 percent in
1999, a record low. Rate decreases were recorded in five of the eight
categories.
“We’re looking at a 32 to 33 percent reduction” in crime,” said
Kaua’i Police chief George Freitas. “I think the crime rates are controlled
with assistance from the community. I really believe the community sets the
ceiling on the amount of crime it will tolerate. It’s not the only factor, but
what they will accept is a big part of it.”
The attorney general reported a
total of 2,727 police officers were employed by the state’s four largest
counties at the end of 1999, a 5 percent increase since the same time in
1998.
But Kaua`i isn’t part of the personnel bonanza.
“We’re currently
down 16 officers, and we’ve been down 12 to 16 officers for quite a while,”
Freitas said. “This is a credit to the guys on the line who work double shifts
and a lot of overtime. I’d like to give a special thanks to the guys working
under fairly severe pressure.”
Freitas said the crime rate probably would
not be better for 2000.
“We’re seeing increases in all four counties (in
preliminary reports for 2000), and even on the mainland there were cities
crowing about reduced homicide rates that are now seeing a reversal of that,”
Freitas said.
He said that overall crime on Kaua`i still isn’t like the
mainland.
“We have far too many car break-ins but far fewer robberies.
Maybe it’s cultural, but people here seem less willing to accept a level of
violence,” he said.
But all good things must eventually come to an end,
officials note.
“Crime in Hawai`i has decreased to such unprecedented low
levels during the last four years that it had to bottom out sooner of later. As
so many record lows were set in 1999, it may prove to be the leveling-off
point,” said Paul Perrone, chief of research for the state.
But even with
Hawaii’s 26 percent crime rate decrease over the past four years, the state’s
rate of 53 crimes per 1,000 residents was still 15 percent higher than the
national average of 46 incidents per 1,000 residents.
Most of these
offenses bear out Freitas’ contention about the lower rate of violent crime,
because Hawaii’s crimes are disproportionately property crimes. Hawai`i ranks
13th for its overall crime rate among the 50 states, but that is because the
state has a high property crime rate (ninth).
Hawai`i ranks 45th in
violent crimes. Only five states are less violent than Hawai`i.
According
to FBI statistics, the most violent region of the United States, ranked by
murder rates, is the West South Central region comprised of Arkansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be
reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and [
HREF=”mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net”>dwilken@pulitzer.net]
