ROBBERY AND HOME INVASION

    Crime in the city of Wilson has increased over the past year.  This report will indicate the Wilson crime rate for the year 2001 by gathering statistics on the highest crime areas of Wilson and other North Carolina cities.  The citizens of Wilson want a safe place to live and work.  Progress has been made on combating the crime problem and finding solutions.  North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July was 6.8 percent, up slightly from 6.7 in June, according to statistics released from the state's Employment Security Commission.  One year ago (July 2001), the North Carolina unemployment rate was 5.7 percent.  Officer C.K. Lamm, crime analyst for the city of Wilson and Doug Barnes, manager of the Wilson office of the North Carolina Employment Security Commission were interviewed by the author of this report.

    Focusing on the increasing number of home invasion robbery cases in the United States, law enforcement agencies and communities are having difficulties introducing the concept of home invasion into the criminal justice system.  There are distinct differences in offender profiles between home invasion robbery and burglary.  Many factors have contributed to the growth of home invasion.  Many homeowners view this crime as something more serious than robbery and burglary - a personal attack on sacred and fundamental principles.  For residents of the United States who have witnessed the slow unraveling of once-placid communities, violent crime has truly hit home.  It is the perspective of this researcher that high unemployment is the main reason for increase in home invasion robberies.

    The enclosed report entitled Robbery and Home Invasion is intended to produce an understanding of the reasons and some solutions for this crime.  Its primary objective is to evaluate the impact of home invasion and some of the contributing factors to it.  It may be shocking to some readers that the results of this research, which are detailed in the body of the report, indicate quite an increase in crime.  The number of unemployed workers in the United States reflects both an increase in unemployment and more residents seeking jobs.  Some of the problems with North Carolina's larger cities will be reported upon, as well as the city of Wilson where this researcher is employed as a police officer.'

FACTORS OF ROBBERY AND HOME INVASION

    High unemployment is a factor in the high crime rate of North Carolina.  The number of unemployed workers was slightly up in July from one year ago to the present.  This reflects both an increase in the number of unemployed and more residents seeking jobs, according to Employment Security officials.

    Doug Barnes, manager of the Wilson office of Employment Security, stated that "Wilson county's unemployment rate increased slightly at 6.8 percent because both the labor force and employed workers decreased."  Wilson county's unemployment rate average in the year 2001 was 6.0 percent.  North Carolina's unemployment rate average was 6.8 percent in July and 6.9 percent in August.  Rates in 57 North Carolina counties fell, increased in 36 counties, and were unchanged in 7 counties. 

    In 2001, the statewide increase in violent crime was 12 percent.  Now, Wilson has an 8 percent increase, slightly up from the year 2000.  Officer Lamm, crime analysis for the Wilson P.D., stated that "these figures are not cause for alarm; crime is cyclical; looking at the first three months of this year, we've had a 10 percent decrease."  During the first months of 2002, the city had no murders to investigate.  At the present time, three murders have been investigated.  Similarly, aggravated assaults were down in the first three months of 2002.

    The largest rise in Wilson crime in the first quarter of 2002 was in thefts and larcenies, according to officer Lamm.  We had an increase in robberies, but the majority of those were strong-arm robberies with weapons involved.  Burglaries to homes and businesses have increased and items have been stolen.  The police department has tried continually to analyze crime trends to determine if there's anything they can do to intervene, but it is important for people to realize that crime does rise and fall in cycles.  Officer Lamm stated that this cyclic fluctuation may be due to changes in the willingness of people to report a crime to the police.  A major factor, however, in the production of crime rates is the economy.  As the overall crime rate increased for Wilson county in the second quarter of 2002, some of the violent crimes actually decreased.  For example, rape went down and murder remained about the same. 

    A failing economy is a scapegoat for society's problems.  The economy has an effect upon how people feel about themselves.  Until more jobs are created and better heath options are offered to families, the root causes of crime will not go away.

[The rest of this paper exists in print only]

REFERENCES

Barnes, D. (2002). Personal conversation between subject and researcher.
Fuller, B. (2001). "Bet the Over" America Economic Condition. 11/05/02, 1191, p. 74. Available on the Internet at http://web13.epnet.com/citation.asp
Lamm, C.K. (2002). Personal conversation between subject and researcher.
Sillars, L. (1995). "Robbery" NewsMagazine. 03/13/95, 22(13), p. 20. Available on the Internet at http://web13.ipnet.com/citation.asp
Simon, T. (2001). Injuries from Violent Crime. Washington D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available on the Internet at http://ehostvgw2.epnet.com/fulltest.asp