Report: Area crime mixed

Explaining crime trends can be about as difficult as getting into the mind of a criminal, police analysts say.

Crime in local jurisdictions was all over the board in 2009 compared to the year before, according to an annual statewide report released Thursday.

Coeur d'Alene saw the highest rise in overall crime at 22.6 percent, while the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department saw a 7.5 percent increase, Benewah County Sheriff's 7.6 percent and Post Falls 5.5 percent. Meanwhile, Spirit Lake crime decreased 21.6 percent, St. Maries 37 percent and Rathdrum 13.4 percent.

In all of Kootenai County, crime was up 12.6 percent, while Benewah County was down 18.2 percent and statewide down 3.6 percent.

Agencies say the down economy is their best answer for the increases.

"Why crime is up or down is a million-dollar question," Post Falls Chief Scot Haug said. "There's not a hard and fast indicator. I don't want to blame everything on the economy, but it does play a role."

Coeur d'Alene Police's Christie Wood said violent crimes crop up sporadically in Kootenai County, but North Idaho still remains a safe place to live.

"We are pleased we are not an urban environment that constantly deals with violent crime, but we recognize that we must continue to be progressive with our programs and enforcement action in order to keep it that way," she said. "Coeur d'Alene is a safe community in which people can feel secure as they go about their daily routine. We have had violent crime, but it is not the norm, and we will do everything we can as a police department to continue the quality of life we have."

Idaho State Police Capt. Clark Rollins called a trend to more pharmacy robberies a "sign of the times."

"In poor economic times, you see a rise in that," he said. "People are turning to drugs and alcohol as a way to sustain themselves."

Coeur d'Alene saw its total number of robberies increase to 32 from 17 in 2008.

Departments are working with pharmacies to share tactics and tips on curbing the crimes, Wood said.

"We know some of the pharmacies took our advice and changed their front counters and stopped carrying some of the most sought after prescription meds," she said.

Cities have also started prescription medicine turn-in programs to encourage citizens to get drugs such as Oxycontin out of their medicine cabinets if they're no longer using them.

Wood said a rise in property crimes correlates with drugs.

"Almost all of the suspects we have arrested for property crimes have told us they are stealing to feed a drug addiction," she said.

On the bright side, most agencies saw a decrease in crimes against people.

Spirit Lake Chief Pat Lawless said he believes crime is down there due to an increase in officer-initiated contacts.

"When I was promoted I wanted the community policing aspect to increase, and I feel, based on feedback I have gotten so far, the officers are doing an excellent job in getting out there and making themselves seen and stopping and talking to people for anything from police/community relationships to proactive enforcement," Lawless said.

Statewide, violent crimes were up 6.9 percent and hate crimes (35 reported) were up 16.7 percent. Crimes against people were down 1.8 percent and crimes against property 2.4 percent.

Like overall crime, arrests varied widely between local agencies.

Arrests were up 12.1 percent in Post Falls, 9.9 percent in Rathdrum, 8.1 percent for Benewah County Sheriff's Department, 4.5 percent in Coeur d'Alene and 3.3 percent in all of Benewah County combined. They were down 12.2 percent for the Kootenai Sheriff's Department, 6.7 percent in Spirit Lake, 3 percent in St. Maries and 0.3 percent in all of Kootenai County.

Rollins said more focus has been placed on collaborative efforts such as the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force to curb issues such as gang activity and fighting in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

"All law enforcement agencies work together and it's a good thing they do because no one has enough resources to combat some of the problems," Rollins said.

Volunteer programs are also being tapped more.

"We're trying to get more eyes out on the street to report crime," Haug said.

Technology advances such as license plate recognition systems, surveillance cameras, laptops in patrol cars and e-tickets have also helped, particularly when hiring additional officers has been difficult.

Agencies are utilizing the Internet more, posting crime reports and neighborhood trends.

"This gives citizens the tools to be aware of what is happening crime wise in the city and their specific neighborhoods," Wood said.

To view the full crime report, visit www.isp.idaho.gov and look for the "Crime Report" link under Other Links.