Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Crime in Centralia increased at disturbing levels last year, with property crimes up almost 44 percent, Centralia Police Chief Bob Berg reported yesterday.

The crime rate in Lewis County’s largest city was the highest it’s been in five years, according to Berg.

The chief attributes the rise partly to to a poor economy.

“The condition of our local economy and the release of known criminals back into our community no doubt contributed to the increase,” Berg wrote in a news  release.

The figures come from the preliminary crime statistics compiled for the Washington State Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chiefs as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The chances of a resident being a victim of a property crime last year was almost 8 percent.

Garage and storage shed burglaries accounted almost exclusively for the sharp increase in burglaries last year, according to Berg.

“The police department continues to work these crimes as an emphasis of the anti-crime team, along with their street level drug enforcement efforts,” Berg wrote.

He notes that in 2009, the city experienced one of the lowest crime rates since uniform reporting was implemented 50 years ago, but all those gains were wiped out last year.

The overall crime rate in Centralia went up by 41.1 percent last year, compared with the year before. But property crime increased by 43.7 percent and violent crime only 13.6 percent.

Berg’s numbers show:
• Theft: up 52.9 percent (from 550 incidents to 841)
• Burglary: up 39.7 percent (from 151 to 211)
• Felony assault: up 38 percent (from 50 to 69)

Some offenses declined or were unchanged:
• Rape (down 35 percent)
• Murder and robbery (unchanged)
• Motor vehicle theft (down 1.5 percent)
• Arson: (down 53 percent)

As a department, they are frustrated with the marked increase, Berg wrote.

On the brighter side, he notes that over time, the trend is still downward, the chances of resident being a victim of a violent crime is less than 1 percent, and the department’s clearance rate for crimes improved by 3.3 percent over the previous year.

Berg writes the department continues to work cooperatively with neighboring law enforcement agencies and neighborhood groups to address the challenges of drugs and crime, but asks for the public’s help.

“Preventing crime is a community responsibility, he writes.

His appeal to the public: Secure your home and valuables, and report suspicious activity to the police.

Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter

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