By: Officer Timothy Mitten
Community Action Officer
Black Mountain Precinct
Phoenix Police Department
In this article I am going to focus on two statistical reports. The first chart is a review of 2014 off duty program as far as the basic numbers of what the officers did. This includes things like miles driven, calls for service the officers answered in the Desert Ridge area, citations, reports written, and a few other things. The second report will be the crime stats for the area. 2014 was the third full year of the program and that allowed me to compare the three years prior to implementation and now three full years after.
The Phoenix Police Department reports our official statistics according to the Uniform Reporting Criteria (UCR) which are not equivalent to Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) statistics or other types. Under the hierarchy rule of UCR, only the most severe offense of an incident is counted, so if there is a Homicide after a Burglary, only the Homicide is counted. There are 4 Part One Violent Crimes that are counted and they are Homicide, Forcible Rape, Robbery and Aggravated Assault (counted individually by victim). There are 4 Part One Property Crimes that are counted and they are Stolen Vehicles, Arson, Theft, and Burglary (which includes residential, commercial and burglary from vehicles).
The statistics shown for the Desert Ridge community as a whole does not include the Desert Ridge Marketplace, JW Marriott Resort or any of the commercial properties in the area. This program does not cover the entire community, it excludes Aviano (who has their own patrols) and the Desert Ridge Marketplace, commercial properties and the JW Marriott Resort are also not included in the off duty program area.
The 3-year average comparisons show across the board reductions in all crime categories with a total Violent Crime reduction of 59% and a total Property Crime reduction of 42%. Individually, Burglary was down 47%, Theft 39% and Auto Theft 32% and a total crime reduction of 43%. It is important to remember that these numbers are 3-year average comparisons and not a comparison of 2014 to any of the previous years or the percentages would be higher when compared to say 2008 or 2009 which were busy years in the area.
These statistics are not accomplished just by the Police Department; this is in partnership with you and the residents of your community. You are aware and call in suspicious activity, practice good crime prevention strategies and form Block Watches. All of this together along with the efforts of on and off duty personnel are what make improvements like this occur. You should thank yourselves for a job well done. Keep up the good work on your end and we will do our best and together we will continue to make the Desert Ridge Community a safe place to be.
If anybody has any questions about these statistics or on any other matter, please contact me at 602-495-5238 or at tim.mitten@phoenix.gov. Thank you for your support in partnering with the Phoenix Police Department to improve the safety and quality of life in your neighborhood.
