OCR Text |
Show Vernal crime's up, seriousness down During 1979 the Vernal City Police Department received an increase in reported crime and calls requiring action of 863 reports representing an increase of 108 percent over last year, Police Chief Jonathan Jones released from the 1979 crime report. The report, compiled by Sgt. Robert T. Downard, shows a significant increase in-crease in reported crime rate since 1976. 309 crimes were reported in 1976, increasing 441 percent to 1,672 reported crimed in 1979. Since 1976, the Police department's manpower has remained the same at 12 sworn officers, excluding the police chief. Burglaries were reported to have jumped from 68 in 1978 to 108 in 1979, an increase of 58 percent. The police department cleared 33 of the burglaries in 1979 or 33 percent. Aggravated assault increased 50 percent, vehicle theft increased 33 percent and theft increased 17 percent over 1978. Sex crimes were down in 1979 with six reported. "We cleared 21 more part I crimes (major crimes) than in 1978, however, our clearance rate dropped 4 percent," says the report. The lower clearance rate can be attributed to an increase case load combined with no increase in manpower. man-power. Overall in 1979, of the 1,672 reported crimes received, the department depart-ment cleared 1,024 or 61 percent. In 1979 the department made 187 more arrests than in 1978. Juvenile felony arrests increased 133 percent in 1979, and of all arrests, 32 percent were juveniles as opposed to 18 percent in 1978. Of all felony arrests in 1979, 34 percent were juveniles compared with 16 percent in 1978. Juvenile felony arrests increased 138 percent and misdemeanor arrests increased 89 percent in 1979. The report states that in 1979 the seriousness of arrests appears to have decreased. In 1978, 26 percent of all arrests were felonies, and in 1979, 21 -percent of all arrests were felonies. $222,317.26 in stolen property was recovered in 1979 which represents 68 percent of all stolen property reported to the department. Since the inception of the Vernal City-Uintah City-Uintah County Drug Force in the fall of 1976, it has arrested over 50 persons for felony violations of the Utah Controlled Substances Act and confiscated upward up-ward of $70-80 thousand in illegal controlled substances. |