Crime Rates Hit Lowest in 40 Years

Crime rates in Cambridge last year were at their lowest in over 40 years, according to the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) 2005 Annual Crime Report released online Wednesday.

The 3,814 serious crimes indexed by the report represented a 12 percent decrease from 2004.

Although the numbers of murders and rapes went up—from zero to three and 10 to 14, respectively—all other types of crime decreased. Additionally, rape rates fell below the 10-year average of 16 per year.

Property crimes decreased overall by 13 percent. Auto theft, in particular, saw a dramatic drop, down 33 percent from 438 in 2004 to 295 in 2005. Burglary also declined significantly, falling by 14 percent from 724 to 623 reported occurrences.

Despite the apparent success with property crimes, violent crime did not see a similarly stunning decrease, down to 500 from 503, a statistically insignificant amount.

Overall, CPD said they were happy with the findings of the report.

“It stands for itself that any time we have this kind of a decrease in crime, we are very happy,” said CPD Commissioner Ronnie Watson. “But we try never to be satisfied with any number and to keep trying to ensure we are doing the things necessary to prevent crime.”

Cambridge saw fewer crimes than it typically does for its size—estimated between 94,000 to 106,000 people—in all categories except for robbery in 2004.

NEW TACTICS IN POLICING

Peter Manning, a professor at Northeastern University’s College of Criminal Justice, lauded CPD for the decreasing crime rates.

“The chief and research and administrative staff are very capable and very sensitive to current trends in policing, Manning said. “They are very sensitive to the complexity of policing a very diverse city.”

Manning highlighted that newer police tactics emphasizing prevention are likely responsible for the recent success.

“Police have been traditionally reactive, responding to 9-1-1 or to reports, Manning said. “But in the last 10 years, police have been more inclined to listen to neighborhoods about community priorities, in

cluding noise, disorder, and traffic around schools, that are not narrowly crime-oriented."

Watson also said community policing contributed to the decline.

"We fight crime with the community," he said. "Our partnerships with MIT and [Harvard University Police Department], news reporting agencies, neighborhood programs, and our willingness to disseminate information about taking precautions have been our biggest asset."

Manning also said that "top command in police departments are trying to assess relationships between resources used and outcomes. They are asking what works and being increasingly smart in allocating resources."

Watson credited the City Council for making it a "top priority that we are fully staffed and have the resources necessary."

Manning noted that in Massachusetts, where cities are "essentially self-governing," negotiation and cooperation are essential, and sometimes difficult.

Steven G. Catalano, spokesman for HUPD, highlighted what he termed a "very good" working relationship between HUPD and CPD.

"We are in constant contact and assist each other whenever necessary," Catalano wrote in an e-mail. "Additionally, there is a good flow of information due to great lines of communication between the two departments."

HIGH-PROFILE CRIMES

The first murder of 2005 in Cambridge was domestic. Math teacher Andrea Harvey was found strangled in her bedroom in February. Her husband was arrested for the crime in North Carolina. There was reportedly no avowed motive.

The second and third murders of 2005 occurred in the same incident in early August. Eight-year-old Regina Antoine and her grandmother Benita Antoine, 76, died due to a fire set in their building by alleged suspect Kevin Robinson.

Robinson was a previous tenant of the same building who allegedly had a dispute with the landlord. He was indicted on charges of murder and arson in September.

Also in late September, a man posing as a taxi driver picked up two women on two separate occasions in Boston’s Financial District between 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. The suspect drove the women to a parking lot near the Alewife T Station, where he allegedly sexually assaulted them. The suspect, linked by DNA, was arrested on October 9 in Augusta, Maine and is awaiting trial for the rapes.

—Staff writer Matthew S. Blumenthal can be reached at mblument@fas.harvard.