Originally published Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Violent crime in Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma declined in 2007, FBI says
Following a trend across much of the nation, violent crime in Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma saw a significant drop in 2007, according to...
Seattle Times staff reporter
FBI crime report
To view the FBI's preliminary crime report for 2007, go to the bureau's Web site at www.fbi.gov.Following a trend across much of the nation, violent crime in Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma saw a significant drop in 2007, according to statistics released Monday by the FBI.
Nationwide, violent crime appears to have declined in 2007 for the first time in three years, with major cities showing the most significant drops, according to the preliminary FBI report. Violent crime decreased nationally by 1.4 percent from 2006, according to the statistics.
In Seattle, police investigated 24 homicides and 90 rapes in 2007, compared with 30 homicides and 129 rapes in 2006.
"Last year was the lowest in either 39 or 40 years," Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said about crime rates.
Kerlikowske attributes the crime decrease to extra officers being assigned to busier sections of the city at peak call times and a partnership with the state Department of Corrections, which assigned neighborhood corrections officers to each of the Police Department's five precincts to work in tandem with patrol officers.
The year of 2006 was an exceptionally violent one in Seattle, with six deaths attributed to Kyle Huff at a Capitol Hill house party.
In Bellevue last year, police didn't investigate a single murder but were called to investigate 29 rapes. In 2006, the department investigated three homicides and 42 rapes, according to the FBI.
In Tacoma, police investigated 10 slayings in 2007, compared with 21 the year before. Police were called to 138 rapes in 2007 and 142 in 2006.
Nationally, property crimes were down 2.1 percent in 2007, the largest drop in the past four years. The largest declines were in vehicle theft, down 8.9 percent; rape, down 4.3 percent; and murder, down 2.7 percent, the FBI data showed.
In Seattle, police investigated 33,960 property crimes in 2007, compared with 39,532 in 2006. In Bellevue, police investigated 4,181 property crimes in 2007 and 4,245 the previous year. In Tacoma, police investigated 14,921 property crimes in 2007 and 16,540 in 2006.
Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 10:59 PM
Illegal workers quietly let go
NEW - 10:36 PM
Metro won't cut bus service after all
NEW - 10:50 PM
Jerry Large: Food-bank theft turns into a gift
Bumper to Bumper: How can the city let bridges go dark?
NEW - 11:00 PM
Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul

Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Real Salt Lake is handed the 2009 MLS Cup trophy at Qwest Field, November 22, 2009.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Senate vote clears hurdle
239 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
133 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
123 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
123 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
122 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
90 - Game thread
70 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
67 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
61 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
53
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors





