PORT ANGELES — Crime totals have remained level in the city and much of the rest of Clallam County, although violent crimes have increased, Police Chief Terry Gallagher and Sheriff Bill Benedict said Monday.
Gallagher told a Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon audience that Port Angeles’ crime rate per 1,000 residents dropped 1.1 percent overall in 2011 with 1,067 crimes compared with 2010.
There also were 30 percent fewer robberies — a drop from 20 to 14.
And Sequim’s total number of crimes dropped 10.4 percent, to 326, a crime rate drop of 21.2 percent per 1,000 residents, according to statistics compiled by the FBI.
But while aggravated assaults in Port Angeles increased 21 percent, to 69 in 2011, reported incidents of domestic violence dropped from 291 to 286.
The 1990s saw a significant decrease in crime, Gallagher said.
“What we see now is a little upward lift following a long period of time,” Gallagher said. “This is not something that concerns me.
“Sometimes we can overreact to what generally is an increase of a few numbers that results in a large percentage upswing.”
Two resource officers are now deployed downtown.
“I can report today that our efforts in the downtown were very successful,” Gallagher said.
“My message to you today is that, yes, the numbers are something we need to pay attention to.
“We need to be aware of where the crimes are occurring, and we need to deploy our resources in an effective way.”
Benedict said the homicide rate is down nationally, adding that in Clallam County, there have been four homicides in the past six months.
John Francis Loring is suspected of killing two people before he turned his gun on himself in February, and Patrick Drum is charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of two convicted sex offenders in June. Drum is awaiting trial.
“We’ve never had four homicides in the unincorporated county in one year,” Benedict said.
“We’re up there with Chicago,” he quipped.
But the number of overall crimes in unincorporated Clallam County dropped 2 percent to 3 percent, Benedict said in a later interview.
Crime rates have declined every year for the past six years, Benedict said.
“Certainly, we’ve had an uptick in burglaries since last October, and probably a half-dozen burglars are responsible,” he said.
But Benedict also spent some of his presentation decrying overall criminal justice costs, saying they account for 76 percent of the county general fund for day-to-day expenses.
“In the last 10 years, the real growth is in the cost of the courts,” he said.
“When it gets to the point where it’s too expensive, I don’t know what we’re gong to do.”
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
