Serious crimes in Royal Oak dropped 15 percent last year and are down by nearly half over the past decade.
“The numbers compared to last year are very good,” said Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue in a news release. “But what is really incredible is the dramatic change since 2007.”
Royal Oak police reported the following crime reductions compared to 10 years ago:
•Burglaries, down 82 percent
•Robberies, down 77 percent
•Larcenies, down 62 percent
•Assaults/ intimidation, down 55 percent
•Auto thefts, down 67 percent
•Arson, down 33 percent
•Aggravated assault, 60 percent
•Forcible rape, 60 percent
Statistics for 2017 showed reductions for most types of crimes over the year before. The biggest decline was in the number of burglaries, which dropped from 86 in 2016 to 45 last year -- a reduction of 48 percent, police said.
Crime increased in two categories. Aggravated assaults were up 21 percent last year with 40 reported. Similarly, motor vehicle thefts rose 34 percent with 51 people reporting vehicles stolen in 2017.
There were eight robberies and four arsons in Royal Oak last year, which is the same number reported in 2016.
Royal Oak began adding more officers to the police department after city voters in 2012 approved a public safety millage. Voters renewed the 3.9 mills tax levy in 2016 and the department now has about 80 sworn officers. Royal Oak pays more than $30 million a year for police and fire services with about two-thirds of the cost coming from the city’s general fund.
FBI statistics show crime rates have been falling nationally for about the past 25 years, according to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank in Washington D.C. Both violent and property crime have dropped about 48 percent since the 1990s, though there are some geographic and other variations during shorter time spans, the center reported last month.
“Our vision is to be Michigan’s premier police department,” O’Donohue said. “Our officers are the best in the state and they do an incredible job.”
Royal Oak police will complete their annual report this spring that will include data on its operations, crime statistics and other information.
“While none of us can ever be satisfied with any level of crime,” said Mayor Michael Fournier in a statement, “you cannot dispute these (city crime) statistics are extraordinary.” - Mike McConnell, Daily Tribune
