Showing posts with label crime statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime statistics. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Incontrovertible statistics and hard data on guns, violence, shootings and killings in America
From an article in The Atlantic Monthly from last year, not today:
The Geography of Gun Deaths
"...what are the factors that are associated with firearm deaths at the state level?
Poverty is one. The correlation between death by gun and poverty at the state level is .59.
An economy dominated by working class jobs is another. Having a high percentage of working class jobs is closely associated with firearm deaths (.55).
And, not surprisingly, firearm-related deaths are positively correlated with the rates of high school students that carry weapons on school property (.54).
What about politics? It's hard to quantify political rhetoric, but we can distinguish blue from red states. Taking the voting patterns from the 2008 presidential election, we found a striking pattern: Firearm-related deaths were positively associated with states that voted for McCain (.66) and negatively associated with states that voted for Obama (-.66). Though this association is likely to infuriate many people, the statistics are unmistakable. Partisan affiliations alone cannot explain them; most likely they stem from two broader, underlying factors - the economic and employment makeup of the states and their policies toward guns and gun ownership.
Firearm deaths were far less likely to occur in states with higher levels of college graduates (-.64) and more creative class jobs (-.52).
Gun deaths were also less likely in states with higher levels of economic development(with a correlation of -.32 to economic output) and higher levels of happiness and well-being (-.41).
And for all the terrifying talk about violence-prone immigrants, states with more immigrants have lower levels of gun-related deaths (the correlation between the two being -.34).
And what about gun control? As of July 29 of last year, Arizona became one of only three states that allows its citizens to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Might tighter gun control laws make a difference? Our analysis suggests that they do.
The map overlays the map of firearm deaths above with gun control restrictions by state. It highlights states which have one of three gun control restrictions in place - assault weapons' bans, trigger locks, or safe storage requirements.
Firearm deaths are significantly lower in states with stricter gun control legislation. Though the sample sizes are small, we find substantial negative correlations between firearm deaths and states that ban assault weapons (-.45), require trigger locks (-.42), and mandate safe storage requirements for guns (-.48).
While the causes of individual acts of mass violence always differ, our analysis shows fatal gun violence is less likely to occur in richer states with more post-industrial knowledge economies, higher levels of college graduates, and tighter gun laws. Factors like drug use, stress levels, and mental illness are much less significant than might be assumed.
Link to original article: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/01/the-geography-of-gun-deaths/69354/
Saturday, November 3, 2012
KCMO: Sweet 16 on "25 Most Dangerous Cities"
I've always appreciated the fact that, when a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities was released, Kansas City wasn't on it.
So far, anyway.
But expand that list to 25 and we just can't miss, dangit. It happens to be one of the top stories on Yahoo! News right now.
From the FBI's compilation of crime statistics in the nation:
16. Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City reported 1,200 violent crimes per 100,000.
The city also reported 57.4 forcible rapes per 100,000, more than twice the national average of 26.8 forcible rapes per 100,000 people.
At least we're not St. Louis (number 3) or, heaven forbid, Detroit and its environs (numbers 1 and 2 when you take in top-ranked, nearby Flint, Michigan).
Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-25-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html
Friday, February 5, 2010
Eureka!
I think I've found the group Kansas City needs to help us reduce the shootings and killings in town.
They are called CeaseFire and were formed in Chicago to, according to its mission statement:
a) work with community and government partners to reduce violence in all forms; and,
b) help design interventions required to better define what should be included in a community or city anti-violence plan.
And thank goodness.
I've written for some time that we need some group of community activists that can somehow reduce the ridiculous number of pointless shootings and murders that happen in town.
This, I think, could be the group.
And the thing is, the churches and other community groups could all form around them and work with them to get this done.
From the Star:
"An expert who has helped decrease shootings and killings by 40 to 70 percent in cities such as Chicago was in Kansas City on Thursday to talk with City Council members about using his program to help cut crime."
"'We see the issue of violent behavior is a learned behavior,' said Gary Slutkin, founder of Ceasefire."
"Slutkin said it starts with hiring and training community organizers to step in and prevent retaliations and disputes by reaching out to the parties that are at war with each other."
"'Most of the shootings and killings in Kansas City, as well as in most cities around the country, are related to grievances and interpersonal disputes,' Slutkin said."
"In Kansas City this method is being used in the east zone area, where the most murders occur. An 11-member group known as Aim For Peace is working in the area."
"'There were two houses that were warring across the street (from each other) where there were multiple bullets flying,' said Tracie McClendon-Cole. 'They were able to intervene on both parties behalf to the point where there were no shots fired.'"
Now, apparently, they're running out of money.
The city should at least look into this and check on the viability and reliability of this information and group and see if they don't deserve our support through tax money.
It certainly sounds as though they do.
Then, as I said, church members, activists, families and everyone interested in having a safer city should get behind the groups, too--both CeaseFire and Aim for Peace.
This may well be the solutions we've needed.
Here's hoping.
They are called CeaseFire and were formed in Chicago to, according to its mission statement:
a) work with community and government partners to reduce violence in all forms; and,
b) help design interventions required to better define what should be included in a community or city anti-violence plan.
And thank goodness.
I've written for some time that we need some group of community activists that can somehow reduce the ridiculous number of pointless shootings and murders that happen in town.
This, I think, could be the group.
And the thing is, the churches and other community groups could all form around them and work with them to get this done.
From the Star:
"An expert who has helped decrease shootings and killings by 40 to 70 percent in cities such as Chicago was in Kansas City on Thursday to talk with City Council members about using his program to help cut crime."
"'We see the issue of violent behavior is a learned behavior,' said Gary Slutkin, founder of Ceasefire."
"Slutkin said it starts with hiring and training community organizers to step in and prevent retaliations and disputes by reaching out to the parties that are at war with each other."
"'Most of the shootings and killings in Kansas City, as well as in most cities around the country, are related to grievances and interpersonal disputes,' Slutkin said."
"In Kansas City this method is being used in the east zone area, where the most murders occur. An 11-member group known as Aim For Peace is working in the area."
"'There were two houses that were warring across the street (from each other) where there were multiple bullets flying,' said Tracie McClendon-Cole. 'They were able to intervene on both parties behalf to the point where there were no shots fired.'"
Now, apparently, they're running out of money.
The city should at least look into this and check on the viability and reliability of this information and group and see if they don't deserve our support through tax money.
It certainly sounds as though they do.
Then, as I said, church members, activists, families and everyone interested in having a safer city should get behind the groups, too--both CeaseFire and Aim for Peace.
This may well be the solutions we've needed.
Here's hoping.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Reasons the "Concerned Clergy Coaltion" should be marching--but aren't
Did you see the Killa City's "Top 10 things to know about homicide in Kansas City"
By Casey Lyons in Killa City, NewsWed., Dec. 2 2009 @ 12:00PM?
Herewith:
The KCPD released it's third quarter homicide results yesterday, which includes some 98 homicides up to September 30. The total to date is 105. We dug through all 24 pages so you don't have to to find the most important things to know about staying alive in Kansas City.
1. July is the new deadliest month. The summer spike came earlier this year, with the most deaths per month (14) coming in July, rather than August.
2. Kansas City killers have got a case of the Mondays. Nearly 1 in 5 deaths takes place on the first day after the weekend. Saturday and Sunday each held 15 percent.
3. Watch out for the witching hour. Thirteen percent of deaths happen between midnight and 2 a.m. Noon to 2 p.m. accounts for 12 percent of homicides and is the second most dangerous time.
4. Violence is random. Motive is unknown more than half the time.
5. East Patrol District is the most dangerous. So far, 634 people have been beaten and 27 killed there.
6. Men fare worst. Three in four homicide victims are men. Among known suspects, there are 10 times more men than women (51 versus 5).
7. There is a lot of black-on-black crime. Over 70 percent of victims are African American. Among suspects, 79 percent are African Americans. By contrast, no victims have been Asian.
8. Senior citizens are the safest. No victims have been over 65. There have been 36 in the 17-25 age range.
9. Victims aren't so innocent. Three in four victims have prior arrests.
10. Drive-by. September is drive-by king with 32 incidents reported.
So, with No. 7, above, wouldn't you think this "Concerned Clergy" group would have been marching last July on a Monday, protesting these senseless killings on the East Side?
No, no. They had to wait until November, when Wayne Cauthen is let go of his job as City Manager, instead.
Sure, that makes sense.
Link: http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/12/killa_city_top_10_things_to_know_about_homicide_in_kansas_city.php
By Casey Lyons in Killa City, NewsWed., Dec. 2 2009 @ 12:00PM?
Herewith:
The KCPD released it's third quarter homicide results yesterday, which includes some 98 homicides up to September 30. The total to date is 105. We dug through all 24 pages so you don't have to to find the most important things to know about staying alive in Kansas City.
1. July is the new deadliest month. The summer spike came earlier this year, with the most deaths per month (14) coming in July, rather than August.
2. Kansas City killers have got a case of the Mondays. Nearly 1 in 5 deaths takes place on the first day after the weekend. Saturday and Sunday each held 15 percent.
3. Watch out for the witching hour. Thirteen percent of deaths happen between midnight and 2 a.m. Noon to 2 p.m. accounts for 12 percent of homicides and is the second most dangerous time.
4. Violence is random. Motive is unknown more than half the time.
5. East Patrol District is the most dangerous. So far, 634 people have been beaten and 27 killed there.
6. Men fare worst. Three in four homicide victims are men. Among known suspects, there are 10 times more men than women (51 versus 5).
7. There is a lot of black-on-black crime. Over 70 percent of victims are African American. Among suspects, 79 percent are African Americans. By contrast, no victims have been Asian.
8. Senior citizens are the safest. No victims have been over 65. There have been 36 in the 17-25 age range.
9. Victims aren't so innocent. Three in four victims have prior arrests.
10. Drive-by. September is drive-by king with 32 incidents reported.
So, with No. 7, above, wouldn't you think this "Concerned Clergy" group would have been marching last July on a Monday, protesting these senseless killings on the East Side?
No, no. They had to wait until November, when Wayne Cauthen is let go of his job as City Manager, instead.
Sure, that makes sense.
Link: http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/12/killa_city_top_10_things_to_know_about_homicide_in_kansas_city.php
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