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Fairview Park, Ohio:

Hometown Crime Report

Analyst: Katie McCafferty

Class: RIAP 276

Date: 7 March 2014

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

ContentsPART I: Cleveland, Ohio Crime Statistics......................................................................................3

PART II: Larceny-Thefts: Fairview Park’s Biggest Crime Problem..............................................5

Annex I: Cleveland, Ohio Image Location......................................................................................7

Annex II: Cleveland, Ohio Crime Map...........................................................................................8

Annex III: 2008-2009 Part 1 Crime Chart.......................................................................................9

Annex IV: Larceny Risk Cleveland, Ohio.....................................................................................10

Annex V: Fairview Park, Ohio Image Location and Map.............................................................11

Annex VI: Fairview Park 2013 Part 1 Crime Report....................................................................12

Annex VII: Analyst Contact Information......................................................................................13

Annex VIII: Endnotes....................................................................................................................14

Sourcing for Cover Graphics:http://media.cleveland.com/fairview-park/photo/fairview-park-city-hall-side-looking-towards-fire-dept-ed08ebab886bbccd.jpghttp://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/FHPic/2705fhpic.gif

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http://townmapsusa.com/images/maps/map_of_fairview_park_oh.jpghttp://jresgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/westgate_slider2.jpg

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PART I: Cleveland, Ohio Crime Statistics

Executive Summary:

The chart, as seen below, shows the Part 1 crimes in Cleveland, Ohio between 2008 and 2012.

The chart shows an overall decrease in crime between 2008 and 2012, with the exceptions of

burglary and larceny-thefts, including an overall decrease in crimes in 2012 (-1,008). In 2012,

murder, rape, robbery, and larceny-theft increased while aggravated assault, burglary, motor

vehicle theft, and arson all decreased. Over the 5 year period, larceny was Cleveland’s most

prevalent crime, with the exception of burglaries in 2011. Cleveland remained around 30,000

total crimes per year for all five years. Finally, Cleveland crime statistics rank much higher than

Ohio’s average and it does not follow the national average.

Discussion:

Cleveland Crimes

2008 2009 2010 2011 20121 Yr

Difference 2011-2012

% change 2011-2012

5 Yr Difference 2008-2012

% change 2008-2012

Average

Murder 102 86 81 74 84 10 13.5% -18 -17.6% 85

Forcible Rape 423 373 341 354 363 9 2.5% -60 -14.2% 371

Robbery 3,804 3,555 3,181 3,156 3,252 96 3.0% -552 -14.5% 3390

Agg. Assault 1,864 1,976 1,922 1,842 1,750 -92 -5.0% -114 6.1% 1871

Burglary 9,102 9,226 9,854 10,706 9,740 -966 -9.0% 638 7.0% 9726

Larceny-Theft 10,686 10,871 10,079 10,524 10,808 284 2.7% 122 1.1% 10594

Auto Theft 5,283 4,031 3,503 4,093 3,761 -332 -8.1% -1,522 -28.8% 4134

Arson 532 401 378 319 302 -17 5.3% -230 -43.2% 386

Total 31,796 30,519 29,339 31,068 30,060 -1,008 -3.2% -1,736 -5.5% 30556

Cleveland is located in Northeast Ohio

on the coast of Lake Erie (see Annex I

for image), with a recorded population of

393,781 in 20121 by the FBI’s Uniform

Crime Report (UCR). Looking at the

2008-2012 Cleveland crime statistics,

crime has seen an overall drop in crime

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in each Part 1 crime section, with the exceptions of burglary and larceny. The total crime

numbers in Cleveland remained around 30,000 crimes per year. Total crime numbers between

2008-2010 dropped from 31,796 (2008) to 30519 (2009) to 29,339 (2010), this was then

followed by a small spike in crime during 2011 which rose to 31,068, followed by another small

drop in 2012 with 30,060. 4 of the 8 Part 1 crimes increased between 2011 and 2012, those

being murder, rape, robbery, and larceny, while the other 4 dropped, those being aggravated

assault, burglary, automobile theft, and arson. This division resulted in a 3.2% drop in crime

between 2011 and 2012.

Throughout most of 2008-2012, larceny was the most

popular occurring crime in Cleveland, with the exception

of burglary in 2011. While there were 10,706

documented burglaries in 2011, larceny was only behind

by 182 with 10,524 documented crimes. Mapping these

crimes is an effective way to visualize the expanse as well

as any possible hot spots for crime (see Annex II for

image)2.

The peak year for crime in Cleveland over the 5 year period was 2008 with a total of 31,796

crimes, followed by a 1,277 crime drop in 2009. Aggravated assault, burglary, and larceny

increased between 2008 and 2009 while all other Part 1 crimes dropped, in total, creating a 4%

drop in overall crime in Cleveland.

Overall, Cleveland does not only have a higher

crime rate than Ohio and the national average, but it

is even one of the highest ranked communities for

its crime rate and being in the top 100 most

dangerous cities in the U.S.A. It still has a very

high crime rate compared to cities of similar

population size3 (see Annex IV).

Comments:

See Annex III for a Microsoft Excel chart showing the change in crime statistics from 2008-2009

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10,686

10,871

10,079

10,524

10,808

Larceny20082009201020112012

A Fairview Park home, showing the area is of higher-income. Source: http://photos1.zillow.com/p_d/IS-39vqtfyayqn1.jpg

PART II: Larceny-Thefts: Fairview Park’s Biggest Crime Problem

Executive Summary:

A personal email interview with Fairview Park’s Police Chief, Erich Upperman, showed that

Fairview Park’s greatest crime problem is larceny-theft offenses. The majority of these crimes

are shoplifting cases from businesses at the Westgate Shopping Center and other property thefts

are taken from locked and unlocked vehicles. Chief Upperman estimated around 50-75% of the

theft suspects are heroin or methamphetamine users from a wide variety of demographics.

Overall, Fairview Park is below the national and state averages for crime rate.

Discussion:

Fairview Park is a small suburb located about 20-30 minutes, southwest of Cleveland.

According to Chief Erich Upperman, who has lived in Fairview Park since 1986 and served on

the police force for 29 years4, the largest current problem in Fairview Park are larceny-theft

cases. These crimes are mainly shoplifting cases

from businesses at the Westgate Shopping Center

in northern Fairview Park with suspects often being

juveniles. Along with shoplifting are thefts from

locked and unlocked vehicles. Chief Upperman

says anywhere from 50-75% of these crimes are

committed by heroin or methamphetamine users

that steal to feed their habit, in other words, they

sell the stolen property to obtain money for more

drugs. There are slightly more males than females

involved, but other than that, there is no other

suspect commonality. The suspects come in all age groups, from juveniles to people in the 50’s

and even 60’s, and a variety of demographics are seen with suspects being white, black,

Hispanic, etc.

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A recent example of the thefts occurring in the Fairview Park area is the end of a 2 month

investigation stemming from a rash of thefts from cars over a three month period. The story was

reported in February 21, 2014 as “numerous items had been taken from unlocked vehicles and

open garages with the suspects using any stolen credit cards at area retail establishments” to buy

electronics. A large quantity of the suspected stolen items were recovered – including 19

suspected stolen bikes – with a Cleveland man and woman being arrested. The man was arrested

on the theft warrant and both were arrested for drug violations. The suspected ringleader, a 38

year old man from the nearby suburb of North Olmsted, was

already in custody on the day the warrants were served. The

group of suspects is responsible for numerous thefts not only in

Fairview Park, but in nearby North Olmsted, Rocky River,

Westlake, and other local towns5.

The crime rate in Fairview Park is below the national average.

The larceny-thefts impact the community in several ways. The

merchandise prices are raised due to the shoplifting crimes and

suspects are a drain on taxpayer money when arrested. Taxes

cover the cost of the provided lawyer, the housing jail, as well as

rehab programs, medical prescriptions when in custody, etc.

The police respond to these crimes in a variety of ways. When they receive a rash of specific

crimes, they try to target the areas where the crime is most often occurring.The Fairview Park

Police work with other agencies that many also be getting targeted and share information about

suspects, types of crimes, etc. The force tries to remain highly visible in the community through

patrol and traffic enforcement. Chief Upperman believes criminals coming into the city see the

flashing lights of the officers stopping people during traffic enforcements or the cruising officers

on patrol and potential criminals are deterred from sticking around the city.

Comments:

The analyst called Chief Erich Upperman on 28 February 2014 and was instructed to email him.

An email was sent later that same day, receiving a response the following day. Chief Upperman

was very helpful and willing to thoroughly answer any and all questions while also attaching the

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Fairview Park 2013 Part 1 Crime Rates

RobberyAgg. AssaultsBurglaryLarcenyAuto Theft

2013 Part 1 crime statistics for Fairview Park to his email (see Annex VI for Fairview Park

maps).

Annex I: Cleveland, Ohio Image Location

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Annex II: Cleveland, Ohio Crime Map

Overview of Cleveland crime mapping. Larceny and burglary being most prevalent.

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Annex III: 2008-2009 Part 1 Crime Chart

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Cleveland1 Yr

Difference 2008-2009

% change 2008-2009

Murder -16 -15.7%Forcible Rape -50 -11.8%

Robbery -249 -6.5%Agg. Assault 112 6.0%

Burglary 124 1.4%Larceny-Theft 185 1.7%

Auto Theft -1,252 -23.7%Arson -131 -24.6%Total -1,277 -4.0%

Annex IV: Larceny Risk Cleveland, Ohio

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The above graphs show the Part 1 crime rates of Cleveland vs. Ohio vs. National rates. Cleveland has much higher rates of violent and property crimes than the nation as a whole or Ohio.

The below graph further breaks down the Part 1 crimes to show larceny-theft as the most prevalent crime with 10,079 documented cases.

Annex V: Fairview Park, Ohio Image Location and Map

To the right is the location of Fairview Park, Ohio

Below is a map of Fairview Park, with points of interest marked.

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Annex VI: Fairview Park 2013 Part 1 Crime Report

Courtesy of Chief Erich Upperman

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Police Department Westgate Shopping Center

Annex VII: Analyst Contact Information

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Katie McCafferty

Phone: (440)-779-3999

Email: kmccaf10@lakers.mercyhurst.edu

Address: Mercyhurst University 501 E 38th St.

Erie PA, 16546

P.O. Box #204

Annex VIII: Endnotes

Part I Crime Statistics Source: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

1http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_ohio_by_city_2012.xls

2http://spotcrime.com/oh/cleveland

3http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/oh/cleveland/crime/#description

4http://www.cleveland.com/fairview-park/index.ssf/2013/09/fairview_park_police_lt_erich.html

5http://www.cleveland.com/fairview-park/index.ssf/2014/02/two-month_theft_investigation.html

Annex I Source: http://www.hschange.org/CONTENT/1154/Cleveland-Map.jpg

Annex II Source: http://spotcrime.com/oh/cleveland

Annex III Source: Excel Spreadsheet, data from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

Annex IV Source:http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/ohio/cleveland.html.UxkZQvk7uSo

Annex V Source: http://www.fairviewparkdems.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fairview-park-precinct-map-0011.jpg

Annex VI Source: 2013 Fairview Park Statistics from Chief Erich Upperman

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