Crime Spread Out, Study Finds

Idaho’s first survey of crime victims refutes the idea that the state’s larger cities are especially dangerous, or that mvoing to the countryside frees people from property or violent crimes.

“There’s a commonality between the regions,” said Republican state Sen. Cecil Ingram of Boise. “Sometimes the urban areas are thought to be dens of sin and iniquity. I think a lot of times we build in some presupposed conclusions.”

“Crime in the Lives of Idahoans 1997” was compiled by Boise State University criminal justice professors and students, with help from the Meridian Police Department.

The one-time snapshot of Idaho crime was financed by the state Board of Education, but the pollsters recommend annual updates to help determine trends.

“Official reports are great. They reflect police practices. But I think we need victim characteristics,” said Mary Stohr, who compiled the report with fellow professor John Crank. “It’s important for people who want to understand crime to know the victims.”

The telephone survey contacted 1,682 residents at randomly dialed numbers in December 1996 and January 1997 and addressed crimes in the preceding 12 months. The margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points. A special subsample of 373 Meridian residents was taken to highlight crimes issues for a rapidly urbanizing town.

More than 94 percent of the respondents were white, 62.4 percent were women and more than half lived in small towns or rural areas. More than two-thirds of the homes had one or more firearms.

“Crime is dispersed across the rural areas, towns and cities, and is not necessarily proportionately higher in our urban areas,” the report said.

“Moreover, the Meridian example would indicate crime does not necessarily follow growth either, since that area actually experienced less crime than the state as a whole.”

But that good news was tempered by indications the majority of crime victims do not report the incidents to police, and most of the perpetrators are not caught.

“We found, as have other victimization studies, that crime is very personal, in that most offenders are known, yet only a small proportion of criminal offenses are reported to the police,” the report said. “Many individuals do not feel the police can solve their problems. Others do not want the government involved in their affairs.”

Stohr said it is difficult to draw conclusions because there are not earlier studies for comparison.

But an “area that should be explored in subsequent surveys is asking people why they don’t contact the police,” Stohr said. xxxx
WHAT THE SURVEY FOUND Here is a look at some statistics from “Crime in the Lives of Idahoans 1997,” a report compiled by Boise State University and the Meridian Police Department:

Property Crimes There were 138 thefts of motor vehicles, auto parts and gasoline per 1,000 households; 61.6 percent were not reported and 75 percent of offenders were not caught; 67.3 percent of victims knew the offender; 33.2 percent of the cases were in rural areas, 25.9 percent small towns, 29.8 percent large towns and 11.2 percent cities. There were 68.4 burglaries, breaking-and-entering or attempts per 1,000 households; 59.4 percent were not reported and 56.7 percent of offenders were not caught; 56.8 percent of victims knew the offender; 28.6 percent of the cases were in rural areas, 27.6 percent in small towns, 26.5 percent in large towns and 17.3 percent in cities. Two-thirds of the items taken were replaced for less than $500.

Violent crimes Four respondents, or 0.2 percent, indicated a household member had been murdered in the past 12 months. Twenty respondents, or 1.2 percent, said someone had set fire to their house, other structures or fields. Five people, 0.2 percent, indicated they were robbed by force, such as a mugging. There were 208 assaults or threats of assault per 1,000 households; 69.1 percent were not reported and 75.6 percent of offenders were not caught; 21.8 percent of the cases were in rural areas, 15.5 percent in large towns, 45 percent in small towns and 17.7 percent in cities.

Sexual victimization Eight people, or 4.8 per 1,000, reported they or a household member were raped; 10 individuals, or 5.9 per 1,000, reported attempted rapes; 68, or 40.4 per 1,000, reported being sexual assault victims; six people, or 3.6 per 1,000 said offenders threatened to assault them.