A recent study done by a home security company lists Cumberland and several other small cities in Maryland as some of the “Most Dangerous Places to Live” but according to Cumberland Police Chief Charles Hinnant the statistics and numbers reported by the Cumberland Police Department don’t reflect that kind of statement. Hinnant says “In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and so far the first 6 months of 2014, crime is down in Cumberland we are talking about part 1 crime that we report to the Uniformed Crime Reports . Maryland State Police oversee that program and ultimately forward that information annually to the FBI and that is where your national statistics come from .”Hinnant says part 1 crimes include includes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, theft and motor vehicle theft. “Typically each year about 1,000 of the reported part 1 crimes in Cumberland are thefts. Thefts are anything from shoplifting to felony theft.” So how likely are you to be the victim of a crime? According to Hinnant “Typically 65-75 percent of the part 1 crimes are thefts, and the other large percentage is breaking and entering. A breaking and entering can be an occupied home, an unoccupied building, or even sheds. If someone enters a home or building without permission, that has been unoccupied for years, that is considered a part 1 breaking and entering. The thefts and breaking and entering consistently count for about 88-90 percent of the Priority 1 crimes. Crimes involving property are the largest percentage of part 1 crimes. Crimes against people, such as: murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assaults generally make up 10-11 percent of part 1 crime. The aggravated assault makes up the largest part of that, those include domestic assaults. That’s where you have two people in a relationship that assaulted one another, and they report it as a domestic assault. So you as a citizen of Cumberland, unless you are involved in that type of behavior, your chances of becoming a victim are not very high. “ Hinnant says very few of the crimes committed in Cumberland are random acts of violence, many times the victims know the suspects. “ Hinnant says drug use in the area is on the rise. “Drug usage has a huge impact on all crime in Maryland and in every other state. People steal frequently to support bad habits. Typically people steal from their families first and then they will steal from friends and other areas in the community.”As for whether or not the prisons have any impact on crime in Cumberland Hinnant says “If there is a stabbing in the prison or a murder in the prison, it is reported through uniformed crime reports, and that has an effect on the number of crimes in our county, but I don’t believe it has an effect on the quality of life of the people who live in our community.” Hinnant says many of the people who are arrested for part 1 crimes are natives of Cumberland or the region. When it comes to overall safety in the city Hinnant says “I don’t feel that Cumberland is any more unsafe than any other major city our size, and I think collectively the men and women of Cumberland police department that have worked with our supportive community in the last several years, collectively we’ve seen a decrease in crime in Cumberland.I believe Cumberland is still a safe place to live and raise a family or to work.” Hinnant says he and the men and women of the Cumberland Police Department strongly encourage the public to report crimes so they know what’s going on in the community.“We collectively are one of the higher law enforcement agencies in solving crime, our percentage in closing cases is generally much higher than most of the other police departments year after year. “Hinnant says, “Call us anytime, 301-777-1600.” Overall Hinnant says “Crimes are being measured close to 90 percent property crimes as opposed to crimes against people.” And Hinnant says crime has been reduced due to the dedication of the men and women in law enforcement in Allegany County and all of the work that they put in.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:33:42 +0000
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