Joplin Crime Down in 2012
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: January 15, 2013
JOPLIN, MO-- Joplin crime goes down in 2012. Total reports dropped 1%... down 67 cases from 2011. General theft cases saw an increase of 16% while property crime overall matched the 1% drop. Violent crime saw a 7% decrease, although there was one more murder in 2012 than in 2011.
Joplin Police Lt. Brian Lewis said, "It's a 50% increase when looking at the percentage, but one more homicide as in the year past. Those numbers are going to fluctuate from year to year. We may go one year with no homicides and the next year we may have four or five, it just depends."
The decrease in crime in 2012 adds up to a 28 percent drop in the last five years. It's the lowest total seen in Joplin since 2003.
