Is Crime on The Upswing In Elk Grove?
Last week, there were several high profile criminal arrests and activities in Elk Grove. They included include a father who allegedly m...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2009/08/is-crime-on-upswing-in-elk-grove.html
Last week, there were several high profile criminal arrests and activities in Elk Grove.
They included include a father who allegedly molested his special-needs daughter, an early morning armed robbery of a fast food restaurant, another pot house bust, a daytime burglary of an occupied house, a gun assault in an apartment parking lot and the usual cases of impaired driving, domestic violence and shoplifting.
While EGN regularly reports on criminal activates, last week seemed to experience a high than usual number of higher profile type crimes. With this in mind we asked Elk Grove Police Chief what his thought are on the matter.
While Lehner said that the crime reported this week were not out of the ordinary, he noted the concentration activity. “What is, perhaps, unusual is that there were a large-than-usual number of newsworthy cases occurring in a shorter-than-usual span of time,” Lehner said.
“In my experience, neighborhood and community crime tends to occur in ‘spurts’ of activity, each followed by a lull,” Lehner said.
Lehner pointed out that there were several aggravated assaults which were up sharply in 2007-2008 but have declined this year. In communities like Elk Grove, Lehner said that once these spurts happen they are more visible because of the city’s relatively low overall crime rate.
While the Chief said that he and his staff are always concerned with any crime, he would be more concerned if the department did not the resource to respond in a timely manner to incidents and unable to conclude these cases
“While it is true we that we’re stretched pretty thin, we have not lost our capacity to quickly respond to felony crimes in progress and to quickly and effectively bring those responsible to justice.”
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Anytime you have a city that is experiencing massive underwater foreclosures, people losing their jobs, half built malls that will not be opening soon to provide jobs, people will do what it takes to survive, even if it means robbing.
I don't think it is EG per se that is experiencing more crime, but with a large amount of poor folk in an area with no jobs and declining home values, this is a natural progression of a city on the decline. Little by little, the quality of life will slip and once you slip beyond a certain point, it's all downhill with no upside. That's when it becomes so bad, the decline accelerates to the point of no return.
I ain't saying EG is in that situation, but everyday, seems closer.
Absolutely and the City Council has done nothing to combat it. The foreclosures have brought down property values and there are renatls everywhere below market that have brought elements of crime.
You have a Cooper running for Sheriff while he has done nothing to bring down crime in his community. The same goes for Gary Davis running for Congress.
I'm not rewarding bad leadership with a green card to higher office. You have failed us here, you get an "F".
The City Council fiddles on their SOI to grab more land for development while Elk Grove continues to slide into mediocracy. The seems to be little effort to fix the problems already caused by overdevelopment. Of course crime is increasing, and the hardnosed attitude Elk Grove police display to their non-criminal citizens isn't helping.
The key here is demographics.
The interesting thing about the recent crime surge I have read about in EGN.net is that for the really hazardous crimes (occupant present home invasion robbery and armed robbery in the open) the "perps" were from out of town.
This tells me two things, Elk Grove is "easy" because it is "freeway close" for a fast getaway and therefore attractive, and that there doesn't seem to be a lot of respect for EG's police department.
Credit the EGPD for catching a lot of these perps and in some cases recovering the loot too. But still, they are coming here from Stockton, Modesto, Sacramento, and in earlier cases from the bay area. And even if the perps do get caught the victim has already been traumatized (if not worse). That doesn't say good things about Elk Grove's security or liveability.
Of course, this is the very same city government that thought it was clever to put a 24 hr. regional draw retail super center in the core of an existing residential neighborhood and could not for the life of themselves figure out why that might be a security issue for the residents. A few of the subsequent wannabee city council replacements still don't see what was wrong with that plan.
Sometimes Elk Grove reminds me of the Alfred E. Newman (of Mad Magazine fame) quote, "If voting changed anything it would be illegal."
Next thing you know the perps are gonna be repeatedly ringing the doorbell on city hall to see if anyone is awake in there too! Who knows? MIght be something worth stealing in there. Don't worry, I doubt that will happen, professional courtesy, ya know?
Yup, I agree. Demographics has a lot to do with it.
What do you expect when you build so many units at one time?
The good come with the bad. The bad ruin the quality of life and the good leave.
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