APD introduces helpful stats system

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Austin Police Department is cracking down on violent crime. According to the latest CompStat or computer statistics, violent crime in Austin is down. The most recent data shows from Nov. 28, 2008 to Dec. 25, 2008, violent crime in Austin is down 4 percent. But, robbery increased by 34 percent. Police attribute the increase in robbery to the holidays and the economy.

The recent numbers also show that there has been a crime shift from Rundberg and Interstate 35 to the North Lamar area, just north of 183. In a four week period, there have nine aggravated assaults, five robberies and three rapes in the North Lamar Corridor.

"It doesn't mean that crime is totally gone away from the Rundberg and Lamar area," said William Bastow with the North Central Area Command. "But, still it's decreased and we are seeing more of an increase in Lamar."

Bastow attributes the decrease near Rundberg and Interstate 35 to increased patrols and he said Wednesday that police plan on fighting crime around the new hot spot at Lamar the same way, with increased patrols. Eziz Maknorjy, who owns a gas station on North Lamar said he is glad APD will be putting their resources in the high crime area.

"Officers always make a difference," said Maknorjy. "We love to have officers in these areas. So, there's less crime, and it's secure for us as a businesses and secure for the public too."

Bonnie Brown, who lives in the North Lamar area, said she is already starting to see a police presence close to her neighborhood where she knows the crime has gone up.

"Down in that area, people are hanging around, drug trafficking, prostituting, stuff like that," said Brown.

The Austin Police Department introduced the statistics or CompStat Wednesday morning. The crime statistics and data compiled by the system helps APD manage police resources by identifying problem areas in Austin.

The statistics are looked at over a four week period to analyze crime trends and to see what kind of impact police patrols have when a particular area is targeted, like the Rundberg area.

CompStats year to date numbers show violent crime is down 1 percent. Homicide is down 21 percent, but aggravated assaults are up 8 percent. CompStat was launched in the summer of 2008.