Quick. Which city has a higher rate of property crime? Durham or Salt Lake City, Utah?
If you picked the Bull City, pick again. A new survey comparing similar cities in the Southeast and across the United States found Durham in the middle of the pack. Durham was just below average on property crime across the SE and just above on violent crime. Durham was well below average on both violent and property crime when compared nationally.
Still the misperception lingers. Reyn Bowman of the Convention & Visitors Bureau says we bring it on ourselves and it's time to stop. "Durham bashing gives the entire region a black eye," he says.
A while back I searched on "Durham" in our newspaper archives. The preponderance of hits were about crime. Many of the incidents were not unique to Durham. But the way we structured our reporting beats and an increased emphasis on getting breaking news online was producing a lot of short hits about violence, much of it in East Durham and a few miles from downtown. Over time, I wonder if this even hurt circulation, as readers turned away from coverage that didn't reflect their daily reality.
We have violent crime here and we need to report it. But responding to every standoff and traffic snarl-up no longer makes sense. In a smaller newsroom, with one edition of the N&O instead of four (each serving a different area), those reports are no longer getting in. Today, we have to do more explanatory reporting, to expand our focus from arrest to root causes of crime. We have to look at systems -- and the N&O probation series set a standard -- and see where they are breaking down.
Public safety reporter Stan Chambers and I have begun talking about restructuring his beat to take in issues of poverty, substance abuse, and other root causes of crime. This week he's also filled in on the courts beat, where his reporting has typically left off, while a senior reporter is on vacation.
We've been talking too with community organizers. Yesterday I met with Newman Aguiar for an overview of the various agencies, from the PACs to the Crime Cabinet, that work on these issues. In The Durham News we also are providing space once a month for the Police Department and Project Safe Neigborhoods to inform readers what they are doing to get more people involved in the fight against crime.
If you have suggestions for us -- issues to cover, people to meet and profile -- please let us know. Send your thoughts to editor@nando.com
Comments
violent crimes
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 08:06 — supersean"The number of people who were victims of all violent crimes except murder fell by 9% in 2001, sending the crime rate to its lowest level since it was first tracked in 1973, the government reported Sunday. The decline was due primarily to a record low number of reported assaults, the most common form of violent crime." this was in a news in 2002, anybody knows present numbers?
Big proble big solution
Thu, 01/14/2010 - 13:25 — HolmeHeatein my opinion people that practice violent crimes should be emidiately condenated to the dead.
I agree with what you said
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 05:23 — Kenneth456I agree with what you said about Durham's crime problem: Part 1. Get Tall Durham's crime problem: Part 1. How to Grow Taller Naturally Durham's crime problem: Part 1. Growing Taller Secrets
It's a shame
Mon, 11/16/2009 - 15:35 — alangstonViolent crimes are a serious issue that's hard to ignore. We really need to clean up the city.
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I wholeheartedly agree with
Thu, 08/06/2009 - 11:07 — DrTMDI wholeheartedly agree with the content of your piece. Having moved here 4 years ago from the South Side of Chicago, i was shocked when people said Durham was "high crime". Sure, it's an issue, and an important one. One probable reason for the high rate of crime complaints, however, is not that violent crime is high per se, but that violent crimes are committed against the student population at Duke. Other cities in the Triangle may have similar rates of violent crime, but there's no outrage because it's largely contained within the lower classes. So, shame on them for being complacent. And shame on us for worrying more about property prices than about helping victims of fear, injustice, and oppression.
Durham’s crime “perception” problem: Part 1
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 15:34 — DuRaWhat Wake County real estate agent suggested the title of your article? The content suggests Durham’s “crime problem” is improving, or at least, is not as bad as public perception might lead an outsider to believe. However, the title reveals some unchecked biases. Be careful what story you're trying to tell, especially to the headline reader that just scans the site.