COLUMBUS – City officials are crediting some of Mayor Michael Coleman’s initiatives with helping cut the rate of violent crime in Columbus over the past seven years.
According to a release from the mayor’s office and the department of Public Safety, overall violent crime declined 29.5 percent from 2007 through 2014, at a time when the city’s population grew by approximately nine percent. That drop included a three percent decrease in 2014.
Violent crimes include murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Coleman’s office says some of the credit should go to anti-crime programs, including the Community Safety Initiative, undertaken in summer months; the youth violence prevention and intervention program called Applications for Purpose, Pride and Success, and self-initiated neighborhood safety groups.
“Unlike many major cities, Columbus continues to show a steady decrease in violent crime, thanks to the hard work and efforts of CSI and the Columbus Division of Police. Crime is down while we are seeing a steady increase in people moving to the city,” Coleman said.
Coleman’s office says the CSI program resulted in 396 felony arrests, 104 firearms recoveries, 45 stolen vehicle recoveries and the seizure of more than 9,000 grams of narcotics.
The downward trend in homicides continued into this year, as Columbus saw a 9.6 percent decrease in murders during the first six months of the year, compared to the first half of 2014, Coleman said. That comes as a recent “USA Today” report showed murder rates increase in nine major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans, New York, and Washington.
There have been 70 homicide in Columbus so far this year.