1998 Annual Report Highlights
Important Facts about the 1998 Index Total:
For the first time since 1993, Cambridge recorded an increase (although minimal) in serious crime. The total increase was less than 1% with a six percent increase in violent crime and a 1% decrease in property crime.
Despite the slight increase, the Cambridge 1998 Crime Index was the second lowest total in the past 30 years. 1997 registered a historic 30 year nadir in Part One Index Crimes.
Over the past 16 years, property crime has steadily decreased
Serious crime has decreased in Cambridge in eleven out of the past 15 years.
The 1998 auto theft total of 387 incidents is the lowest total recorded in Cambridge since the 1960s.
Murder:
Cambridge averaged 4.5 murders per year between 1960 and 1989.
Since 1990, that number has decreased to 2.3 per year.
Murders in Cambridge usually fall into three situational types: domestic, drug or gang related, and homeless against homeless.
Nationally, cities of 100,000 people average 6 murders per year.
The two murders in 1998 were the result of a single, tragic family altercation in East Cambridge on October 1st. A 56 year old Charles Street resident shot his half-brother and sister to death in a dispute over the family residence. The suspect currently awaits trial.
Rape:
Over the past 30 years, Cambridge has averaged 33 rapes per year. In 1998, there were 25 rapes and attempted rapes reported in the city.
In an average year, investigators clear 70 to 80 percent of all reported rapes. This year, the Sexual Assault Unit cleared 92% of the rape cases.
Of the four to seven stranger to stranger rapes each year, two to four are usually street abductions or "blitz" rapes, one or two are usually home invasions, and the remainder are "contact" rapes. There was only one stranger rape committed in 1998. The solitary incident was a home invasion in August. Stranger on stranger rapes decreased 89% from the 1997 total.
Since 1980, there has only been one stranger-to-stranger "street" rape pattern in Cambridge: the "Rainy Day Rapist" who struck the Fresh Pond area in 1981.
Robbery:
The 1997 robbery statistics for Cambridge were at its lowest ebb in over 30 years. In 1998, robbery increased 18%, but the total is still lower than any other year since the mid-1960s except 1997.
From 1970 to 1990, Cambridge averaged 100 commercial robberies annually. The 14% reduction in commercial robberies in 1998 represents the ninth decline in this robbery type in the past ten years. Since 1994, the City has averaged 28 commercial robberies annually.
About 45 percent of all street robberies are "predatory robberies" or "muggings," in which one or two offenders approach someone with a weapon or threat of a weapon and demand money.
Three of the four Central Square neighborhoods registered substantial increases in street robberies in 1998. Area 4 (+71%), Cambridgeport (+59%), and Riverside (+25%), all registered higher totals in 1998 after recording historical lows for this crime in 1997.
Saturday is the most probable day of the week for street robberies. Temporal analysis of this crime reveals that nearly 33% occur between 8:00 PM and midnight.
Burglary:
Burglary increased 17% in Cambridge in 1998 after recording its lowest total in 30 years in 1997. The 1998 total is the second lowest total of burglaries since the mid-1960s.
The Porter Square business district accounted for 25% of the citywide commercial burglary total.
Sixty percent of housebreaks occur on weekdays between the hours of 7:00AM to 5:00PM.
The Peabody, West Cambridge, and Riverside neighborhoods experienced heavy increases in housebreaks in 1998. All of these areas suffered multiple patterns in the Summer and Fall.
The traditional summertime burglary in Cambridge pattern has virtually disappeared.
Larceny:
Larceny is the most commonly reported Part 1 Crime, accounting for 62% of the serious crime index.
In 1998, the larceny statistic was the lowest since 1979.
The 570 larcenies from the building reported in 1998 equals about 60% of the totals reported at the beginning of the decade.
Thefts from offices account for 30% of all larceny from buildings. Laptops computers are the favorite target in this crime.
Larceny from motor vehicles shot up 14% with nine of the 13 neighborhoods registering increases in 1998.
For the fourth consecutive year, larceny of bicycles declined in Cambridge. 1998's decrease of 21% was the largest of any of these four years.
Auto Theft:
Auto theft has shown the most consistent and dramatic decline of any crime over the past 20 years. The 1998 total represents a decrease of 83% from twenty years ago, 66% from 10 years ago and 18% from last year. The 1998 total of 397 incidents is the lowest total in over 35 years.
Toyotas and Hondas consistently are the makes of cars stolen the most frequently in Cambridge. The two makes combined for nearly 30% of the total number of vehicles stolen in 1998. The Toyota Camry was the most targeted model, followed by the Honda Accord, the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic.
Analysis of theft by model year reveals that cars eight to nine years old are the most likely to be stolen
Cambridgeport and Area 4 reported the highest auto theft totals in 1998.