TEXARKANA POLICE DEPARTMENT

TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

03/15/06

Officer Chris Rankin

Public Information Officer

903-798-3187 (office) 903-260-0294 (pager)

903-824-4199 (cell) 903-798-3023 (fax)

Re: Year End Report/ UCR Crime Trends

The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department recently completed the year end report for the year of 2005. This is an extensive report which contains information regarding each division within the department and the status and progress that is made within each division.

Along with general information regarding the separate divisions, the report contains the results of the Uniform Crime Report. This report deals with crime trends within the City of Texarkana Arkansas.

The UCR results as compared to the year 2004 are as follows:

1 Homicide down 66% from 2004

5 Rapes down 66% from 2004

42 Robberies down 12% from 2004

One area that saw an increase is the frequency of aggravated assaults. This area saw an increase from 302 incidents reported in 2004 to 403 reports in 2005. This represents an increase of 33% from 2004.

After studying the overall assault trends it can be determined that since 1999 there has been a steady increase in the frequency of assault reports. This is due in part to the fact that the overall size of the city of Texarkana Arkansas doubled to roughly 45 square miles due to annexations that occurred in 1999. Despite this increase in the city size there have not been any additional officers added to the departments' roster. In short, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department has seen our coverage area expand without the addition of any new officer positions.

In addition to this the assault increase can also be partially attributed to the fact that many of our domestic violence cases fall under the criteria for aggravated assault. The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department employs one full time domestic violence investigator and a second victim's coordinator to assist in investigations. The case load of this unit has increased 50% since the year 2000. We feel that this is due to the relentless efforts of the domestic violence unit in pursuing and prosecuting these offenders. We are finding that due to education and enforcement efforts, more victims are coming forward to report instances of abuse and are more likely to cooperate with investigators. In short, it is unlikely that there has been an increase of incidents involving domestic violence, but rather an increase in the frequency that the crimes are actually reported to police.

Other areas that saw increases are petty thefts and motor vehicle thefts. Again, this may be attributed to the increase in the size of the city, in areas of square mileage as well as population.

The overall crime index rose 7.6% from the year 2004 to 2005. Although these numbers are withing acceptable limits at this time considering the overall changes that the city has faced in recent years, we must never be content with a rise in the overall crime rate. Throughout the year 2006 officers will be focusing their efforts on lowering the rate of thefts and continuing to pursue those involved in assault cases.

The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department continues to strive to make this city as safe as possible. We feel that our officers are accomplishing this goal. They are doing an outstanding job of proactively policing the city and seeking out criminals rather than standing by and waiting to respond to 911 calls. This tactic of aggressive patrol of the city will continue into 2006.

We would also like to thank the public for their continued support of our efforts. For tips on crime prevention and information regarding the police department, citizens can visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department website at www.txkusa.org/arkpolice.

Thank you and you can visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department online at http://www.txkusa.org/arkpolice.