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The Mesa Police Department has announced that the city has seen the greatest reduction in crime since 1963.
According to police, among other declines, there has been a 39 percent drop in auto theft and 31 percent decrease in homicides.
Statistics taken from the first nine months of 2009 show a 16 percent drop in violent crimes like rape, murder, and robbery, compared to the same period last year. In 2009, there have been 1,496 violent crimes, as opposed to 1,776 in 2008.
Not every area saw a decrease — residential burglary seems to be recession proof for Mesa thieves.
Residential burglary is up 11 percent, with 171 more reported burglaries from 2008 to 2009.
Not to mention, just last week, Mesa police announced that budget cuts were allowing drunk drivers to swerve through Mesa virtually unchecked.
The department said that fewer officers and longer processing time was hindering officers’ ability to enforce DUI laws.
Funny — “budget cuts” don’t seem to be a problem in preventing almost every other crime in Mesa.
