Violent crime dips in Durham. But here’s why property crime is way up.
Property crime in Durham jumped in 2023 with more than twice as many vehicles stolen as in 2022, according to a report presented to the City Council on Thursday afternoon.
Police Chief Patrice Andrews reviewed the annual crime statistics during a council meeting in City Hall. Here are the highlights.
- Property crimes increased. Property crimes overall were up by 19%, fueled by a more than doubling of stolen cars and trucks. Motor-vehicle thefts jumped from 803 in 2022 to 1,885 in 2023, a 135% increase.
- Cars left unlocked, running. About a quarter of the stolen vehicles were left running and unattended or open with the keys inside. Andrews also cited a TikTok challenge that spread information on how to break into Hyundai and Kia vehicles, leading to a spike in thefts The News & Observer reported previously. Many stolen vehicles were used for crimes and then quickly “dumped,” she said.
- Robberies overall decreased. There was a 16% drop in robberies, which the chief attributed to officers investigating and “dismantling” groups of thieves. At least 39% of all robberies were of Hispanic residents, pointing to a ongoing issue of this community being targeted in the city. Guns were used in 55% of incidents. Police report that of 1,359 burglaries last year, 61% were from homes, an 11% increase from the year before.
- Over half of stolen guns came from vehicles. Andrews reported that 54% of stolen guns were taken from vehicles and that half of those vehicles were left unlocked.
- Violent crime decreased slightly. There was a 4% decrease in overall violent crime, though the city’s 49 homicides almost equaled the record of 50 set in 2021. There were 157 rapes reported to police, up 16% compared to 135 in 2022. Some of those rapes were from prior years but reported for the first time in 2023.
Shooting statistics in Durham
Overall, 210 people were shot in Durham in 2023, 42 of them fatally, according to police statistics.
That was down nearly 14% from the 243 people who were shot in Durham in 2022, 40 of them fatally.
The report showed more shooting incidents (863, up 12%) but fewer people who were shot, with the 210 people shot down 14% decrease from 2022.
At least 79 of the shooting incidents were detected by ShotSpotter without an associated 911 call, which Andrews called “significant.” ShotSpotter was put on pause last December by city leaders while being evaluated for its effectiveness.
There were 1,119 firearms seized in 826 incidents, according to the chief.
“We are seeing multiple guns in these incidents,” she said. “It’s not just one or two; (there are) multiple guns.”
911 calls for service
There were 9,099 priority 1 calls for service for 2023, up 1.9% from 2022.
Police did not meet the targeted average response time of 5 minutes and 58 seconds and currently have an average response time of 6 minutes and 29 seconds.
Police are answering 49% of calls in less than five minutes, short of the 57% target.
How many crimes are police solving?
Police made few arrests in car thefts and other property crimes. Clearance rates were higher for violent crimes and were higher than the FBI national averages.
- Fewer arrests in property crimes. The clearance rate for burglaries, larcenies and motor-vehicle thefts fell last year, with the biggest decrease coming in vehicle thefts, from 8.7% to 2.5%. Property crimes are hard to make arrests in because police need fingerprint evidence, DNA samples and evidence such as video footage, the chief said.
- Police cleared 72% of homicide cases. That was up 10 percentage points from 2022 when the clearance rate for homicides was 62%. Six juveniles were charged with homicide in 2023, including one 14-year-old and three 15-year-olds, the report shows.
- Police cleared 24% of reported rapes. This was up 2 percentage points from 2022 when the clearance rate was 22%.
- The clearance rate of aggravated assault did not change. The rate of 36.3% held steady and was slightly below the FBI national average. “For the amount of aggravated assaults (in Durham, investigators) are doing very well,” the chief said.
How many police vacancies are there?
The Police Department continues to deal with a chronic challenge of short staffing among its sworn officers.
- At year’s end, 404 sworn officer positions were filled out of 535 authorized positions, a 24% vacancy rate.
- 50 officers resigned, 22 retired and 11 were fired last year, the report states, slightly more resignations and terminations than the year before.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published February 22, 2024 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Violent crime dips in Durham. But here’s why property crime is way up.."
