As the economy tumbles, crime rises

The economic crisis may affect more than the amount of money in your pocketbook. Some suggest that as the economy continues to sour, the allure of crime will increase. As a result, not only may the content of your pocketbook be at risk, but your pocketbook itself, as well as your car and even the sanctity of your home.

Although crime rates have fallen consistently since the mid-1990’s there has been a slight up-tick over the last two years. More importantly, property crimes have begun to increase in the wake of the economic downturn. Charlotte, N.C., has seen a 10-percent increase in burglaries since the economy began to slide. Providence, RI, has noticed an increase in crime in direct relation to home foreclosures. Even the sheriff of Minnehaha County, S.D., warned the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader that the economic crunch could, “result in desperate people stealing, cheating their employers or stealing from their employers or family members.”

In the Detroit metro area vehicle thefts and thefts from automobiles are on the rise. Troy Police Lt. Chuck Pappas told the Detroit Free Press, “Money is very tight right now ... people are out of work.” According to the Miami Herald property crimes are on the rise in Florida for the first time in 16 years, a 6.2-percent increase in just the first six-months of 2008.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently conducted a survey of mayors and police chiefs from 124 cities in 36 states. More than 42-percent report they are seeing increased crime as a result of current economic conditions. Nearly 30-percent report an increase in crime resulting from the mortgage foreclosure crisis and the increase in the number of vacant and abandoned properties.

Collateral damage

Most Americans may not be victimized at the hand of a criminal created by a deteriorating economy. However, the collateral damage from a declining economy will undoubtedly include a rise in crime and a more ominous decline in law enforcement resources.

Mortgage foreclosures, the tip of the subprime debacle, provide a glimpse into the gravity and dimension of the link between crime and the economy. A foreclosed, abandoned home often becomes the target of hard and soft criminals. The soft crimes like vandalism often lead to burglary and theft. Homes are gutted removing fixtures and plumbing which are then sold for scrap. An abandoned house can become a haven for hardened criminals like drug dealers and drug users. With drug dealers come guns, violence and prostitutes who follow the drugs and money.

Neighborhoods blighted by foreclosures and crime are paralyzed by spiraling property values and a shrinking tax base. The loss of tax revenue impacts local government which is chiefly responsible for local law enforcement. Police departments are being asked to reduce their budgets. The result of budget-tightening means less police patrols and fewer crime prevention efforts.

According to CNN.com, many places like Phoenix, Az., and Fairfax County, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C., communities particularly hard hit by mortgage foreclosures, have realized a “precipitous fall in real estate taxes.” The Phoenix police have been asked to reduce their budget by 3-percent. Fairfax County, which has cut anti-gang operations, educational programs, and DUI task forces, has been told to prepare for a layoff of 280 police officers. The Wall Street Journal reported that Vallejo, Ca., a city of 120,000, had 150 police officers in January and will have less than 100 by the end of the year.

Smaller forces

In New York, where the size of its police force has been directly linked to an astonishing decrease in crime, the police department has 4,000 fewer officers than it did in 2000. According to the New York Times, former New York City police commissioner William Bratton believes that the city’s crime surge during the financial crisis of the 1970’s was mainly attributed to the decision to lay-off thousands of police officers. Bratton said that decision made the city a “hell on earth.” The police chiefs surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported having a total compliment of 62,157 officers. The optimum number of police officers would be more like 92,000, indicating a nationwide shortfall of more than 30-percent.

The strain brought about by the mortgage meltdown and the tightening credit markets may also be responsible for an increase in crimes of opportunity such as insurance fraud. Houses that can’t be sold and car loans that can’t be paid are pushing people to expand their concept of right and wrong. As Miami police Chief John Timoney told Reuters, “We are starting to see middle class people getting arrested for insurance fraud ... because they can’t afford the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.”

Opportunistic crime may be just the tip of the iceberg as a sagging economy and dwindling crime fighting resources play out in the coming year.

X Matthew T. Mangino is the former district attorney of Lawrence County and a featured columnist for the Pennsylvania Law Weekly. He can be reached at matthewmangino@aol.com.