Crime: Hamtramck vs. Highland Park

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I thought it might be interesting to compare the crime statistics between Hamtramck and Highland Park, but it is apparently not that simple. Hamtramck did not report crime statistics to the FBI in 2000, 2001, or 2004, and Highland Park hasn’t reported since 2000. The following comparison uses statistics for the last year both cities reported, 1999.
Hamtramck (1999)
Population 22,976
0 murders (0 per 100,000)
8 rapes (44.1 per 100,000)
87 robberies (479.9 per 100,000)
164 assaults (904.7 per 100,000)
346 burglaries (1908.8 per 100,000)
579 thefts (3194.1 per 100,000)
742 auto thefts (4002.7 per 100,000)
5 arson (27.5 per 100,000)
City-data.com crime index = 960.9 (higher means more crime, US average = 339.3)
Crime in Highland Park (1999)
Population 16,749
15 murders (77.4 per 100,000)
18 rapes (92.9 per 100,000)
185 robberies (954.4 per 100,000)
279 assaults (1439.3 per 100,000)
367 burglaries (1893.3 per 100,000)
816 thefts (4209.7 per 100,000)
827 auto thefts (4266.4 per 100,000)
City-data.com crime index = 1435.1 (higher means more crime, US average = 339.3)
Since 2000, Highland Park has lost 33% in population, while Hamtramck has been relatively stable, losing only 2.4%. The Highland Park Police Department was reformed in 2007, having been disbanded in December of 2000.
Between 1999 and 2010 in Hamtramck, the rates of murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, and arson increased, while only theft and car theft have decreased.

2 thoughts on “Crime: Hamtramck vs. Highland Park”

  1. Hillary–Now you are on the right track. Your concerns are well-founded. You have correctly pointed out that (a) we have a great department and (b) we have a lot of work to do. This won’t be easy and may not, in the end, be possible. Debate and negotiation will hopefully bring us closer to a solution that, under the best of circumstances, may be far from perfect for all interested parties. We are talking about groping our way through a brutal situation, but one that won’t fix itself by doing nothing. I have seen these stats. But the stats only scratch the surface of my concerns. And what of the missing stats. As brutal as HP looks, have you seen Detroit’s in the 7th 9th and 11th precincts? What if our alternative is having that beleaguered and proud force taking on 4+ square miles and 40,000 new residents? Aren’t we better off controlling a bit our own destiny a little closer to home with cops most know by first name? I just asking, not answering. You get to answer, not me.

  2. So, I should be concerned about these numbers? You will have to tell me what my concerns are and point out where I said that we have a great police department. Last I checked, I was quite vocally in support of outsourcing dispatch and taking over parts of Detroit that actually effect crime in Hamtramck.