Stolen cars, burglaries and thefts drove up Snohomish County’s crime rate during the first half of 2004, according to statistics released Monday.
Countywide, crime rose 11 percent during the first six months of 2004, compared with the first six months of 2003, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reported.
The spike in property crime here bucks the statewide trend.
The four property crimes tracked by the report – burglary, theft, car theft and arson – fell 2 percent statewide.
Violent crimes – murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – went up statewide by 1.7 percent.
Here, 39 more violent crimes were reported countywide, up to 769 in the first six months of 2004. That includes seven murders.
Local police blamed the usual suspects for the rise in property crime – population growth, the sluggish economy and substance abuse.
“I believe the biggest driver of all is people who need money. The main reason they need money is for drugs and alcohol,” Sheriff Rick Bart said.
The sheriff’s office numbers for the second half of the year are trending down, he said, but could rise again during the holiday season.
“Everything we’re looking at shows there’s going to be an increase” compared with 2003, he said. “The big problem for us is burglaries and auto thefts.”
Everett police are also seeing spikes in both categories.
Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf hopes arrests of burglars and auto thieves in the first half of the year will stop the increase.
“I know the statistics are high, but over the second half of the year I think the numbers will go down,” he said.
The department formed a task force in January to cut the number of car thefts. The effort is paying off, Scharf said, noting that in October the city’s car thefts were down by 36, compared with the previous October.
Gloria Harper, 57, whose 1991 Ford Escort station wagon was stolen from her Everett apartment complex in March, said she isn’t surprised auto theft is rising.
“Not with the economy the way it is,” she said. “A lot of people are pretty desperate. You have to be pretty desperate to take a Ford station wagon.”
Harper, who cares for her 78-year-old mother and 54-year-old brother full-time, said they haven’t been able to afford a replacement car yet.
They use public transportation and get rides from friends when they can.
The police “have got to do something because people like us are up a proverbial creek without a paddle,” she said. “We’re barely making it from month to month.”
Mill Creek police, who’ve tried to crack down on car thefts there, are disappointed to see their numbers up, spokeswoman Becky Erk said.
“We’re only through the first week of November, and we’re already ahead of last year for burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts,” she said.
Her department shares the frustration of many others in the county struggling with tight budgets and rising crime.
“We only have so many police officers, and we can’t hire more people,” Erk said. “With crime going up, there’s a feeling we can’t get on top of it.”
Police are asking for the public’s help in keeping crime down the rest of this year.
“With Christmas coming up, this is a really important time to remember when you’re out shopping to take your presents out of the car,” Erk said. “The car prowlers are out there, and if they see bags and boxes they’re going to break in.”
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