Crimes have been noted to be among the factors that impact negatively on the quality of human life. Violent crimes such as homicides are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Failed homicide attempts have seen the increase of physical disability, mental disability and medical complications among the victims. Cybersecurity crimes have led to mental instability of victims through bullying and also financial losses through acts of fraud. All these criminal activities among others have impacted negatively on both individuals and the nation. It is therefore important for the media to present this information to the public to enable informed decisions on the actions to be undertaken at individual, organization and national level. Information on crime statistics in Tannahalesse and the nation will be presented in this discussion to provide an overview of the crime rates at both the local and national level. An evaluation on the news articles will be presented to understand the different strategies adopted by media in reporting crime news. A comparison of similarities and differences will also be discussed. Possible outcomes will also be presented to enable establishment of possible course of actions in response to the reported crime statistics. In the conclusion, suggestions will be presented on ways in which the media can improve crime rates reporting to enable better decision making processes.
Cole (2018) reported that the college students in Florida A&M University no longer felt safe due to the high rate of crime occurrence in Leon County as the campus is situated next to the county. The crime rate in Leon County was higher than the other counties with a prevalence rate of 5.655.4. Noteworthy is the increase in crime rates by 6.8% over 2015 numbers ranking the city number 8 among the most dangerous cities (Cole, 2018). The rates of drug crimes and homicide had also increased through the years. Seven shooting related incidences were reported since February leading to formal charging or conviction (Cole, 2018). The heavy police presence did not deter crime occurrence raising the level of concern among the students over their safety.
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In this article Cole identifies the victim population as students and even sought their views on the matter. Offenders are also identified in this case the shooters. He presents statistical data that confirms the high incidence of crime in Leon County as compared to the other counties. Data on charges and convictions of crimes related to shootings for a recent period of time have also been presented showing the justice accorded to the victims in these cases. Cole highlights current efforts by the local authorities to prevent the occurrence of crimes.
An article in the Tallahassee Democrat reported that the crime rates in Leon County had decreased by 15% in 2017 (Etters, 2018). Despite this decrease, Leon County still had the highest crime rates compared to the other counties. Reported crimes such as rapes and robberies had decreased compared to 2016 while murders had increased (Etters, 2018). Reports by the local authorities confirmed that initiatives that deterred crime occurrence will be intensified and other initiatives like increase in deputies and technological uptake will be initiated (Etters, 2018). A report by the sheriff confirmed that approximately 26% of the cases had been cleared in 2017 which was higher than the previous year. Etters (2018) also reported that the crime rates in neighboring counties like Franklin, Jefferson and Wakulla were on the increase.
In this article, Etters identifies the offenders as robbers, murderers among others. The reporter seeks the opinions of experts like the police. Data on crime rates in Leon and other counties is presented which shows the reduction or increase rates for comparison purposes. Etters gets the views of the local authorities on the strategies that ensure success in crime reduction and future plans to reduce the rates further. Statistical data on the cases that have been cleared are presented indicating that the victims received some form of justice.
According to Jany (2018), crimes in Minneapolis in the first two and a half months of 2018 had decreased by a third compared to the same period in 2018. This was as a result of fencing along the light rail line, street lighting, installation of security cameras and removal of electric sockets along Nicollet Mall. The prevalence rates of robberies and property crimes had decreased while cases of serious assaults had increased (Jany, 2018). The Police Chief confirmed that they were partnering with the community to reduce crimes and partnerships with outreach agencies will be initiated to increase efficiency. However, responses from some of the local citizens indicated that crimes had not gone down and even cited some recent crimes. Efforts such as outreach to the youth and homeless, increased police and ambassador presence would ensure that crime rates remain low.
Jany uses data for the year 2016 and 2017 which enables the reader to note an increase or decrease in the crime rates. The reporter talks to the experts like police to give an insight on crime related issues. The strategies that have enabled the law enforcement to reduce the crime rates are presented as well as future plans that will ensure the same. Janor identifies some of the potential offenders as the youth and the homeless.
According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University at San Bernardino, hate crimes across the nation’s 10 largest cities had increased by 12% in the last year despite the declining crime rate (Hauslohner,2018). Hate crimes were increasing due to society fragmentation and increased bigotry (Hauslohner, 2018). The African Americans were the most targeted ethnic groups for hate crimes. The Jews on the other hand were the most victimized religious group in terms of hate crimes The LQBTQ were the most targeted by anti-sexual orientation crimes. However, the data on hate crimes may not be accurate due to under reporting by victims and lack of information from majority of the law enforcement agencies (Hauslohner, 2018). The article also projects future occurrence of hate crimes due to the upcoming elections.
Hauslohner provides statistical data on hate crime increase for readers to analyze. She also seeks the opinion of an expert in hate crimes to determine the causes of the crime and future projections. She clearly identifies the victims of hate crimes based on ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
Both the local and the national newspapers rely on statistical data in order to show decrease or increase in the crime rates. The opinions of experts regarding crime is also sought except in the case of The Fauman . The papers present the current efforts that the authorities are taking to ensure low crime rates. The papers also present future plans by the authorities to reduce crime rates except in The Fauman . The Washington Post goes further to give future predictions of crime occurrence. However, the local papers focus on the crime rates in relation to smaller geographical locations like the campus and the county while the national paper focus on crime rates across states.
The crime rates information can assist law enforcement officers to identify the required amount of both human and financial resources that will be required to reduce the crime rates. The information will also provide a guide for policy makers to develop relevant policies that will ensure reduced crime rates. The information can also lead into further research to analyze the causes, effects and possible solution to high crime rates. Future predictions of crime occurrence can lead into panic by the communities identified as possible targets of crimes.
In conclusion, media reporting on crime rates in important for decision making and progress evaluation. However, the media can improve their reports by including successful case studies in their articles. Through such case studies the readers can be able to assess the crime rates before intervention, the interventions that were adopted and the positive changes that were realized. This would enable information users to draw lessons that can reduce crime rates in their states or localities.
References
Cole, A. (2018, April 6), Students don’t feel safe on Tallahassee’s south side, The Famuan. Retrieved from http://www.thefamuanonline.com/news/view.php/1033370/Students-dont-feel-safe-on-Tallahassees- accessed 20 th July, 2018
Etters, K. (2018, May 22), Crime rate down, but Leon County still tops state, Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved from https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/05/22/crime-rate-down-but-leon-still-tops-state/631783002/ accessed 20 th July, 2018
Hauslohner, A. (2018, May 11), Hate crimes jump to fourth straight year in the largest U.S. cities, study shows, The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/11/hate-crime-rates-are-still-on-the-rise/ accessed 20 th July,2018
Jany, L. (2018, March 16), Downtown Minneapolis violent crime drops by a third so far in 2018, Star Tribune . Retrieved from http://m.startribune.com/downtown-violent-crime-drops-by-a-third-in-the-first-quarter-of-2018/477148333/ accessed on 2 0 th July, 2018
