Murders, rapes up in Seattle

The number of murders, rapes and robberies in Seattle all rose in 2008 over the previous year, while aggravated assaults — far more common than any other type of violent crime — dipped a bit, along with arsons and property crimes.

The figures came in a preliminary report of annual national crime statistics released Monday by the FBI.

The Seattle Police Department also released its 2008 crime statistics Monday, along with data comparing the first four months of 2009 with the same period last year.

Citywide, in 2008 there was a 4 percent year-over-year drop in major crimes — a category that includes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto thefts, said Interim Police Chief John Diaz.

Major crimes rising

But in the first four months of 2009, major crimes were up 9 percent compared with the first four months of 2008, he said.

The FBI statistics differentiate between violent crimes and property crimes, while the Seattle department's term of "major crimes" encompasses both violent crimes and a handful of property crimes (burglary, larceny and auto thefts).

Though Seattle's 2008 numbers reflect citywide decreases in major crimes, Diaz said certain parts of the city — particularly the Central Area, Rainier Valley, downtown and Belltown — are still hot spots.

While overall, the North, East and Southwest Precincts showed decreases in major crimes last year, the South and West Precincts showed increases, he said.

An especially troubling trend that began late last year and seems to be continuing is the number of shootings and strong-arm robberies involving young people, Diaz said.

Seattle saw a 45 percent decrease in homicides and an 11 percent decrease in rapes from January to April 2009 compared with the same period last year, but aggravated assaults rose 17 percent, and robberies climbed 25 percent in the first third of this year compared with the first third of last year, he said.

Recently, the Seattle Police Department expanded its gang unit, creating a day squad and adding a second squad at night, restoring the number of gang detectives to staffing levels in the 1990s, said Diaz, a former gang-unit commander.

He said the gang unit is also working closely with other area cities to combat gang violence and get guns off the streets.

"It's probably our toughest nut to crack — the idea that you can solve a problem by using a gun," Diaz said.

On a brighter note, Diaz said the number of auto thefts in the city fell 55 percent between 2006 and 2008 — and auto theft is down 27 percent in the first four months of this year compared with last year.

He credited a strategy of police and the King County Prosecutor's Office that targets the most prolific auto thieves and prosecutes them on charges that bring longer prison terms.

He said a similar strategy is being used to target pattern burglars. Last year, Seattle burglary detectives solved 19 of 20 incidents of "pattern burglaries," where the same individuals were responsible for multiple crimes, Diaz said.

He noted that burglaries were up 10 percent in the first four months of 2009, compared with the same period last year.

Nationwide drops

Nationwide, violent crime was down 2.5 percent in 2008 from 2007, while property crimes dipped 1.6 percent year-over-year, according to the FBI report.

While cities of all sizes reported drops in violent crime — a category that includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — cities with populations between 25,000 and 49,999 residents saw the least change, with only a 0.6 percent decrease, the report says.

In Western states, violent crime fell 3.4 percent, and property crimes dropped 4.2 percent between 2007 and 2008, the FBI report says. In the Northeast, violent crime dipped 1.4 percent during the same period, while property crimes rose 1.6 percent.

In 2008, there were 29 murders in Seattle, up from 24 in 2007.

The number of forcible rapes increased to 126 in 2008 from 90 the year before, the report says. That's a 41 percent increase, bringing the numbers back in line with 2005, when there were 138 forcible rapes and 2006, when there were 129.

Seattle police don't know why there were significantly fewer rapes in 2007 compared with 2008, said spokesman Mark Jamieson. But in the first four months of this year, police investigated 33 forcible rapes in the city, compared with 37 in the same period last year, he said.

Robberies in the city increased from 1,522 in 2007 to 1,612 in 2008, while aggravated assaults — a category that includes drive-by shootings and the brandishing of weapons — dropped from 2,031 in 2007 to 1,680 in 2008.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com