Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton used the City Council retreat last week to unveil the city’s crime statistics for 2010. That data showed that Fayetteville has fewer violent crimes than nearly every other city in Georgia of similar size, that serious crimes continue to be on a downward trend and that the actual crime at the Fayette Pavilion continues to be more perception than reality.
Perhaps the most telling crime statistic of all those presented was Fayetteville’s ranking in terms of violent crimes. Of Georgia’s 43 cities with a population of 10,000-20,000, Fayetteville ranked five from the bottom with 23 violent crimes in 2010.
A sampling of other similar sized cities showed Cartersville with 57 violent crimes, Milledgeville with 80, Villa Rica with 146, Union City with 267 and, at the top of the list, Brunswick with 349.
Heaton during the presentation provided a chart representing Part 1 crimes over the past 16 years. Part 1 crimes include aggravated assault, burglary, forcible rape, homicide, larceny, motor vehicle theft and robbery.
“Since 2003 the city has seen a decrease every year in the number of Part 1 crimes with the exception of 2008 and 2010 when we experienced an increase of 10 incidents in 2008 and four incidents in 2010,” Heaton said.
The city saw 448 Part 1 crimes in 2010, up from 444 in 2009. While most crime categories stayed relatively stable during the past two years, thefts were down from 367 in 2009 to 347 in 2010 and burglaries increased from 37 in 2009 to 53 in 2010.
“Part 1 crimes have continued to remain relatively at the same level for the past two years in spite of a downturn in the economy,” Heaton said. “Part 1 crimes continue to be at their lowest over the past 10 years.”
A check of the data showed 600 Part 1 crimes in 1996, an increase to approximately 650 in 1998 with the 600-plus level being experienced until 2006. Even in 2007 and 2008 the city had approximately 550 Part 1 crimes. The numbers dropped below the 450 range in 2009 and again in 2010.
Heaton noted the perception that criminal activity of all kinds in Fayetteville is largely due to the presence of the Fayette Pavilion. As presented, the data showed that 35.71 percent of Part 1 crimes occurred at the pavilion in 2010. That compares to 30.41 percent in 2009 and 36.52 percent in 2008. The low point occurred in 2006 and 2007 when approximately 30 percent of the city’s Part 1 crimes occurred there. Yet from 2003-2005 Part 1 crimes at the pavilion accounted for approximately 44-52 percent of the city’s total.
Put in perspective, the 1.53-million-square-foot Fayette Pavilion shopping area does bring untold thousands of shoppers to the development, along with a wealth of sales tax revenues to Fayette County. In terms of size and by way of comparison, the expansive Mall of Georgia is listed as having 1.78 million square feet.
Heaton also reported on Part 2 crimes, those that include arson, disorderly conduct, DUI, drug violations, drunkenness, family violence, forgery, fraud, liquor law violations, non-rape sex offenses, vandalism and weapons violations.
The chart showing Part 2 crimes reflected 521 Part 2 crimes in 2010, down from 622 in 2009 and 557 in 2008. But there were still more Part 2 crimes in each of the years from 1995 forward than in 2010. There were 696 Part 2 crimes in 2006, 678 in 2003, more than 700 in 1997 and 1999 and a high of 809 in 1998.
