Crimes in city steady in 2011
By Gary Popp
Published in News on January 29, 2012 1:50 AM
Goldsboro police Interim Chief Jeff Stewart said the 2011 crime statistics released by his department this month show steady and satisfactory results from the patrol and investigative divisions.
The violent crime index, which includes murders, rapes and aggravated assaults, saw a drop of 9 percent from 2010 to 2011 in the city.
There were seven homicides in Goldsboro last year, two more than in 2010 and one less than 2009. Stewart said he is pleased that the department's investigations division cleared six of the seven homicides through arrests or the issuing of warrants.
"Our patrol is out there, and they are doing a good job," Stewart said. "These figures help us determine what needs to be addressed and what the officers need to be looking for while on patrol."
The statistics report recorded two rapes in 2011, one less than what was reported in 2010. Both of the sexual offenses were cleared by investigators.
The number of aggravated assaults was also down from 2010, from 280 to 252 in 2011.
The property crime index, which includes robberies, burglaries, larcenies, vehicle thefts and arsons, had an overall uptick of 4 percent.
From 2010 to 2011, robberies decreased from 105 to 91, burglaries decreased from 736 to 694 and arsons also dipped, from five to two reported.
Stewart said the de-crease in the home and building burglaries can be attributed to the leadership within the patrol division.
"The decrease in the breaking and entering is the captains being spot on in putting patrols in the right areas," he said.
The most significant in-crease in property crimes was in the amount of larcenies reported. That number went from 1,674 in 2010 to 1,850 in 2011. There was also a slight bump in the number of vehicle thefts, from 129 to 134.
The total value of stolen property in Goldsboro in 2011 had an estimated value of $2,287,593.
Nearly $520,000 worth of that property was recovered.
Of all the 3,334 offenses reported in 2011, 992, or 30 percent, were cleared.
"Cases solved by patrol was as good or better as it has been in recent decades," Stewart said.