CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT

1997 Annual Crime Report

ROBBERY

Robbery is the taking or attempted taking of anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. This crime includes muggings, purse snatchings, and bank hold-ups.

Robbery is theft in which the offender confronts the victim and steals the victim's property through force or threat of force. It includes "muggings" and "hold-ups," though the offender does not need to display a weapon (and about half of them do not) for the crime to be categorized as a robbery.

Robbery is usually committed on the street, in the dark, by an offender or offenders who the victim does not know. The confrontational, threatening nature of the crime has a strong influence on the behavior of the public. Robbery is one of the crimes most often considered by a citizen when he or she gauges the general "safety" of an area.

For the purposes of analysis, the crime of Robbery is divided into two categories: Commercial Robbery and Street Robbery. Commercial Robbery makes up less than 12 percent of the robbery total in Cambridge. Unlike assault, robbery statistics are fairly sound; robbery victims are extremely likely to report the crime.

At the end of 1997, Robbery was at its lowest level in Cambridge since we began measuring crime over 30 years ago. Commercial robbery is down 79 percent since 1990, and Street Robbery has dropped 53 percent in the same time period. The reasons behind this dramatic decline can be seen in the following sections.

Commercial Robbery

Commercial Robbery describes the taking or attempted taking of anything of value from the care or custody of a commercial or financial establishment. Examples of this crime include the bank heist, the cab stick-up, and the convenience store hold-up.

From 1970 to 1990, Cambridge averaged 100 commercial robberies annually. Since then, the number has plunged to 22% of that average. Nationally, commercial robbery accounts for 24 percent of total robberies; in Cambridge, commercial robberies made up only 13 percent of the 1997 robbery total. Clearly, our city is enjoying a respite from this type of crime-a respite that began between 1991 and 1992 when commercial robberies dwindled from 90 to 54.

Bank and armored car robberies consistently numbered between 7 and 10 incidents a year until 1997, when only three robberies were reported. Convenience store robberies have shown a general decline since 1991, though they showed a three-incident increase this past year. Cab robberies remain low for a city of our size; Boston traditionally reports over 100 each year. Other types of establishments have shown a consistent decline in commercial robbery.

Cambridge statistics reflect the national decline in commercial robberies since the 1980s. A number of factors account for this trend, including increased security measures at gas stations (plexi-glass booths), convenience stores (drop-safes, silent alarms), and banks (dye packs, better surveillance cameras); the Cambridge Police Department's Park & Walk program, which increases police visibility in vulnerable areas; and the disappearance of the particular breed of criminal who commits commercial hold-ups.

Street Robbery

"Street Robbery" describes all robberies committed against individuals. A "street" robbery does not necessarily have to occur on the street, though more than 75 percent of them do. Examples of street robberies are "muggings," "carjackings," and "purse snatchings."

As with commercial robbery, Cambridge's 1997 street robbery total was the lowest recorded in the city in over 30 years. The crime has been on a general decline since it peaked at 329 incidents in 1990.

A long-term trend analysis of street robberies in Cambridge reveals a number of frequently recurring scenarios:

Acquaintance Robberies (9 in 1997): Related to the Domestic Robbery and the Homeless Robbery (see below), Acquaintance Robberies are committed by someone the victim knows. Common scenarios include drinking buddies robbing each other after a night at the bar, friends turning on each other, drug disputes, and robberies between co-workers.

ATM Robberies (3 in 1997): An offshoot of Predatory Robberies (see below), ATM robberies are generally committed late at night, just after the victim has withdrawn money from an automatic teller machine. The predator, who has observed the transaction, stops the victim as he or she emerges from the ATM vestibule and demands the cash.

Bikejackings (9 in 1997): In this scenario, any number of attackers will approach a young (10–15 years old) male victim on a bicycle and, through force of numbers, knives, or other weapons, will demand the victim's bike. Often, the attacker simply shoves the victim off of his bicycle and takes it. In a good portion of bikejackings, the victim knows his attacker.

Bully Boys (11 in 1997): Juvenile robberies of intimidation. In most occurrences, the victim knows the perpetrators. Committed by and against school-aged youths, they occur on the way home from school, or at playgrounds, malls, parks, and skating rinks. Two to four juvenile males usually strong-arm their victim, stealing such things as his jacket, hat, or lunch money.

Carjackings (4 in 1997): In this scenario, a lone predator will approach a victim entering or exiting his or her car, or when stopped at a traffic light. In no uncertain terms, the robber will order the victim out of the vehicle and demand the keys.

Domestic Robberies (4 in 1997): The domestic robbery is a relatively new scenario which has emerged over the past several years. In these incidents, the perpetrator is usually an ex-boyfriend, who uses force in street confrontations to take back jewelry or cash. Family robberies are also on the rise: husbands robbing their wives, brothers robbing their sisters, and estranged children robbing their parents or grandparents. Many of these robberies involve past debts.

Home Invasions (3 in 1997): One of the most serious robbery types, home invasions involve robbers entering their victim's homes, usually at night, subduing the residents (sometimes by tying them), and robbing the home. Fortunately, this type of robbery is rare in Cambridge.

Homeless Robberies (7 in 1997): The homeless robbery is a sad scenario reflecting urban life in the 1990s: homeless people robbing each other. The majority of these robberies occur in the vicinity of Central and Harvard Squares, or at various shelters. The victim is usually acquainted with the perpetrator, and in many cases, both are intoxicated. Property stolen ranges from a bottle of wine to a blanket to a pair of shoes. Like domestic robberies, homeless robberies are sometimes precipitated by past debts, real or imaginary.

Pack Robberies (23 in 1997): In this situation, a group of three to eight young males will stalk victims around shopping malls, MBTA stations, streets, and recreational areas. The majority of these robberies occur on Friday or Saturday nights, when the "pack" is returning from a dance or party. The robberies are not always premeditated, but the victim-typically a male between the ages of 15 and 25, walking alone-simply ends up on the wrong place at the wrong time. Weapons are seldom used, but strong-arm tactics are applied. Usually, the victim is knocked to the ground or ordered to lie down.

Predatory Robberies (71 in 1997): This type of street robbery has the most pronounced effect on a citizen's perception of safety. Predatory robberies are synonymous with "muggings." In the typical scenario, one or two men approach the victim with a knife or gun and demand cash. The danger of serious injury is ever present. In recent years, predatory robbers have become cruder and less controlled, pushing and kicking their victims. Cambridge typically experiences more two-person predatory robberies than any other type.

Purse Snatch (10 in 1997): The purse snatcher is generally unarmed, and has little intent to cause injury. After "casing" a victim-a female carrying a purse, bag, or wallet-this robber approaches quick from behind-on foot or on a bicycle-and snatches the item out of the victim's hands or off her shoulder before she has a chance to react, often effecting a "body check" in the process.

Geographic Breakdown of Street Robberies

Decreases

1997 witnessed a displacement of street robberies away from traditional "hot spots" to neighborhoods which normally have a fairly low robbery rate. This effect was particularly noticeable this Summer.

Area 4 has probably never seen a lower street robbery total than the 21 incidents reported in 1997. Extra patrols, multiple Park & Walks, priority investigations, neighborhood redevelopment, and a plethora of other factors led to this impressive decline. The neighboring areas of Inman/Harrington and Cambridgeport also benefited, with drops of 40 and 45 percent, respectively.

North Cambridge saw street robbery fall greatly in the first nine months of the year, with a 64 percent decline at the end of September, but a late fall pattern that hit the Alewife MBTA Station and surrounding areas of Cambridge, and Arlington brought the neighborhood's decrease to a more modest 24 percent.

The MIT Area's two robberies (excepting those that occurred on MIT property and were reported to the MIT Police) involved a dispute between a cab driver and passenger in Kendall Square and the theft of a student's backpack on Ames Street.

East Cambridge, whose robbery problem traditionally consists of juvenile robberies around the Galleria, was showing an increase until this Summer. There were only four robberies reported in this neighborhood in the second half of the year.

Mid-Cambridge street robberies leveled off this Summer after a pattern of pack and predatory robberies struck the western half of the neighborhood in the Spring. Two different arrests of groups of juveniles ended the pattern, and the neighborhood reported only five additional robberies throughout the Summer and Fall.

A pattern of December pack robberies hit the Agassiz neighborhood this year, but it could not equal last year's January/February pattern.

Increases

A general increase in robberies around Harvard Square and Quincy Square affected the West Cambridge and Riverside neighborhoods heavily, with respective increases of 180 and 33 percent. Clusters are evident along Brattle, Mount Auburn, and Church Streets, and are generally predatory in nature. Analysis shows that both of these neighborhoods reported unusual lows in 1996.

In addition to the Harvard and Quincy Square area increases, Riverside also suffered a pattern in and around Hoyt Field. Extra police attention given to this area following the murder of a Cambridge man on August 19 has driven away this pattern.

Peabody was the only other neighborhood to show a significant increase in street robberies, with the majority of incidents centered around the intersection of Richdale Avenue and Upland Road. With absolutely no robberies committed on the North Cambridge side of Porter Square, a traditional "hot spot," the city may be witnessing a displacement effect.

On a final note, Strawberry Hill and Cambridge Highlands, neither of which reported any robberies in over two years, both experienced a single street robbery during the Summer of 1997. Strawberry Hill's robbery occurred on September 17, when a man on the golf course was assaulted by someone trying to steal his cellular phone; the Highland's robbery was a domestic robbery at a business place on Wheeler Street.

Six Street Robbery "Hot Spots"

based on data over the last three years

Central Square, specifically the area of Massachusetts Avenue between Main Street and Inman Street, extending one block on either side (Bishop Allen Drive to the north, Green Street to the south). Though street robbery has declined dramatically in this area this year, it remains a "hot spot.." Mostly predatory and homeless robberies, with the target time frame between 7:30 p.m. and midnight.

CambridgeSide Galleria, particularly the First Street entrance, including the Lechmere MBTA Station area. These are usually juveniles robbing each other between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Harvard Square, around Church Street and Brattle Street. Predatory robberies in the late evening mixed with early evening purse snatchings.

Russell Field and the Alewife MBTA Station. Late evening robberies here. Predatory and pack robbers target people leaving the station and crossing through the field.

Hoyt Field and surrounding streets. Generally a late night (10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.) problem involving predators and older packs.

Western Agassiz, including Kirkland Street, Irving Street, Bryant Street, Francis Avenue, and Museum Street. We experience at least one pack or predatory pattern per year in this area, which is otherwise quiet. Target time is between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

 

Street Robberies Reported in 1997

See Street Robbery Prevention Tips

See Commercial Robbery Prevention Tips

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