Samantha Scheidell

CJ 1010

Crime Report Data

Part 1:

Murray, UT Saint George, UT

● Population ● Population
○ 49,250 ○ 80,202
● Homicide ● Homicide
○ 3 ○ 0
● Rape ● Rape
○ 26 ○ 22
● Robbery ● Robbery
○ 55 ○ 12
● Aggravated Assault ● Aggravated Assault
○ 170 ○ 79
● Burglary ● Burglary
○ 440 ○ 317
● Larceny ● Larceny
○ 2,494 ○ 981
● Motor Vehicle Theft ● Motor Vehicle Theft
○ 253 ○ 83
● Arson ● Arson
○ 6 ○ 2
● Totals ● Totals
○ 3,447 ○ 1,496
● Crime Rate per 100 ● Crime Rate per 100
○ 69.99 ○ 18.65

In Murray City the crime rate was 69.99% compared to the crime rate of 18.65% in Saint

George. When looking at the populations of both cities, you can see that the population of Saint

George is a little less than double that of the population in Murray. While Murray is in the middle

of a highly populated area and seemingly packed with people, the city itself is quite small.
Crimes committed in Murray may not be from those residing in Murray, but likely from one of the

surrounding cities. Murray has higher living costs which may increase the drive for larceny or

robbery in the city. The residents of Saint George seem to be mainly either college students or

those in retirement. Certain areas of Saint George may be considered higher class, but with

those main age demographics, crimes such as robbery, larceny, and burglary may not seem

worth the effort.

Part 2:

Part 3:
 Out of all Part II Crimes reported in 2015, 18.07% are drug offenses. Drug offenses have

been listed as the sale, manufacturing, or possession of opium, cocaine, marijuana, synthetic

narcotics, and dangerous non-narcotics. When it comes to the selling of drugs, I don’t think that

this crime directly influences those of crimes to persons or property. With possession or

manufacturing however, a correlation might be found.

Those possessing illegal substances may also be under the influences of the same

illegal substances which in turn my make them more likely to commit other crimes due to

lowered inhibitions. Vandalism, prostitution, other sex offenses, and driving under the influence

are four that specifically stand out as potentially being affected by drug offenses. Vagrancy

seems to be a category that might be affected also by drug offenses, but more so for those who

have been using drugs for longer amounts of time.

Part 4:

Three of the crime categories that should an increase in arrests from 2014 to 2015 were

driving under the influence, rape, and weapons charges. With an increase of 10%, one could

assume that more and more people are driving under the influence. However, it seems to be

more likely that law enforcement is cracking down harder and keeping a more watchful eye on

drivers not meeting safety expectations. More patrol cars monitoring streets and more citizens

reporting concerning roadway behavior could be the reason for an increase of DUI arrests.

Concerning the increase of rape arrests, it also seems like the willingness to report the crime

committed is a leading factor. In the past few years the support towards a victim of rape
reporting the crime committed against them has grown. I certainly hope that it is for this reason

that the rape arrest rate has increased and not because the act of rape has been happening

more frequently. With the ease of purchasing guns from private sellers through websites, those

who should not be in possession of a gun seem to have easier means to buy them. Also, with

the fear that the ability to possess guns may be taken away, and the lack of knowledge for

properly owning a firearm, citizens may be purchasing and carrying guns without proper permits.