TERRE HAUTE — The overall number of crimes reported in Indiana fell statewide between 2006 and 2007, but not quite enough for law enforcement officials to let down their guard.
“We’ve always got plenty,” Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said.
According to Indiana’s Uniform Crime Report for 2007, indexed crimes fell 1.7 percent last year to 236,691 from 240,993 the year before.
Both years’ numbers average out to be about seven crimes per day per county in Indiana.
And though the numbers for 2008 haven’t been tallied yet, local officials agree some crimes have continued to fall this year.
“I think, knock on wood, that we’ve been very fortunate again to not have had any extremely violent crimes in the county,” Vigo County Sheriff Jon Marvel said, noting that the intensity and volume of local violent crime isn’t as bad as other areas of the state.
Statewide, crimes of violence rose to 21,165 last year from 19,876 in 2006.
And while methamphetamine still reigns among law enforcement’s drug problems, legislation regulating cold medication such as Sudafed has definitely put a dent in methamphetamine production.
Some cold medications contain pseudoephedrine, which is an active ingredient used in the making of methamphetamine
“Meth production has taken a tremendous nosedive over ’06 and ’05,” Marvel said, noting that police have had good success in breaking down “mom and pop labs,” forcing most distributors to find their wares in other states.
Terre Haute City Police Chief John Plasse said it’s difficult to know for sure which states are producing the methamphetamine making its way into the Wabash Valley, but the Southwestern states leading to Mexico are a good guess.
“I think [interstate trafficking] is always going to be prevalent with the drug problem,” Plasse said.
Plasse said methamphetamine is the biggest drug trafficked through the area, and noted that its abuse leads to other crimes.
“It all seems to revolve around that big ‘D’ word, and that’s drugs,” Marvel said, explaining that the whether it’s the manufacture, distribution or thefts to get the money for it, drugs play a role in nearly every criminal activity. “It all revolves around drugs.”
Modesitt referred to Thursday morning’s multiagency methamphetamine raid, which netted 20 individuals indicted on drug charges.
“Those same people are the ones out stealing to get money to get drugs,” he said of the big-picture circle created by substance abuse.
And while overall state crime numbers might have dropped, Marvel said there’s no sign of decrease at the jail.
“This may be an all-time record,” Marvel said of Friday’s jail population of 315, about 60 inmates more than the maximum capacity.
Clay County Sheriff Mike Heaton said his jail population has been hovering between 120 and 130, about 25 under capacity, but he noted that several of the cells are reserved for maximum security.
Methamphetamine production has dropped, but usage is still evident, and prescription drugs, cocaine and marijuana are still around, he said.
“About the same, a little less,” he said of drug-related activities in general.
Plasse said interpreting the statistics can be difficult when trying to determine whether criminal activity or law enforcement is at play.
“You always hope the statistics [show] that crime goes down, and in a perfect world, that’s the way it would be,” he said.
However, a community in which there were no arrests at all might very well be the most problematic, “unless it’s a utopia,” he said.
Statewide, homicides dropped last year to 356 from 369 in 2006, a number Plasse said fluctuates considerably.
Terre Haute has had one homicide to date for 2008, but Plasse remembers years that had as many as 11. “It’s tough to gauge,” he said, noting Indianapolis’ rash of homicides early this summer.
Modesitt said he’s been surprised at the number of homicide and child molesting cases he’s worked as a prosecutor.
“In our job, the harder you work at it, the more cases you’re going to have,” he said, noting that two child molesters he recently prosecuted received 40-year and 35-year prison sentences. “I’m going to keep doing that.”
For 2009, he already has two murder trials lined up.
Marvel acknowledged the large number of inmates at the Vigo County Jail who are arrested for not appearing at court dates.
Those court dates usually are scheduled as a result of the inmates being released on their own recognizance due to jail overcrowding. When they fail to appear for court, they’re arrested again and taken back to jail, repeating the cycle.
“We’d like to move them through the system faster,” Marvel said of his goals for 2009, explaining that he intends to continue working with the court system to find ways to expedite the process.
And if trends continue, all involved might have fewer people with whom to work.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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