Burglary Rates Comparison: New York and San Diego Essay

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Introduction

A system in the U. S. called Uniform Crime Reports compiles crime data collected from different cities, counties, and states. There are two categories of criminal offence: violent offense if it involves murder, robbery or forcible rape or property offense if it involves burglary or theft (Press, 2008). The Federal Bureau of Investigation receives the crime statistics from UCR monthly and publishes it every year. The law enforcement agencies collect reports from police who discover the crimes. The public also informs the police of crimes in their areas. Crime in the United States has decreased greatly over the years because of improved living standards and most citizens are above the poverty line.

Burglary is entry into a structure or another person’s dwelling without permission with an aim of committing a crime. The unlawful attempt to get into the structure is also burglary and falls in the category of property theft. The law divides burglary into three degrees; first degree burglary, second degree burglary, and third degree burglary (Press, 2008). In the last five years the rate of burglary has declined because of increased industrialization and better tactics used by the police officers.

New York

New York metropolitan area has a very high population compared to other cities in the world. The United Nations headquarter is found in this city and other international activities take place here. This is a global city with several international businesses. Corporations involved in insurance, media and arts are also found in this city. Its population is rapidly increasing with an approximated population of 19 069 796 by the end of year 2009 (Press, 2008). This population is composed of people with different cultures and from diverse origin.

San Diego

San Diego city is found in California and it is the second largest after Los Angeles. Almost half of its inhabitants above 25 years are degree holders ranking it among the top10 most educated cities in America. A large percentage of the population consists of young people and some are below the poverty line. Most people are farmers and many manufacturing companies are found in San Diego. Tourism and defense industries perform best in this city creating job opportunities for the area residents. The dramatic growth in the city has improved the living standards of people.

Rates compared

The rate of burglary in San Diego was higher than in New York according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report Data published from 1996 to 2000 (Press 2008).

Table 1: Reported incidence of burglary in New York and San Diego from 1996 -2002

Years1996199719981999200020012002
New York666618501490487434345
San Diego2,18712,04281,83781,52301,57771,672518,199

The rates changed over time with New York recording a gradual decrease since 1996. It is estimated that by 2010 the crime would be brought to very low rates, better security measures were taken by both the residents and the police officers. In San Diego, the rate decreased gradually until 2000 when it started to increase. Important security measures have been employed to bring this rate down and with the dramatic growth of the economy, the rate is expected to go down.

Reasons for the different rates

Many factors contributed to the difference in crime rates in both metropolitan areas. New York is the host of most international activities that need high security from different forces. People in the city have also employed private police and guards to watch over their residents and offices. This has resulted in the crime rate dropping by a large percentage over the years. Breaking into homes by burglars occurs during the day when people have gone to work or learning institutions. Improvement in technology especially in New York has made it possible for most people to work from their houses reducing the chances of this unlawful act. With the large population, a good neighborhood is important in which people of the same apartment or area build trust among themselves. This will help in preventing crime when one is away as the neighbors will keep watch of one another’s property.

San Diego despite its small population compared to New York recorded a high rate of burglary. Several factors explain the cause of different rates between these two areas. The lighting systems in some homesteads could be poor making it difficult to see a suspect. Both internal and external lighting systems are important in keeping off burglars. For most people in San Diego, the installation of alarms and better locks could be a challenge making their homes easy to break into. In New York, not every resident is capable of installing burglar alarms and this could be the cause of the few burglary cases in the area. The rate of employing private police officers and guards in San Diego is not the same as that in New York. Most of the industries in San Diego are manufacturing and agricultural, they do not need extra security compared to corporations in New York.

Differences in the rate of the crime also can be because of the data collection methods and reporting done by the law enforcement agencies. Some of the reported crimes could be unfair with their judgment being based on sex, religion, or race of the victim (Press, 2008). This makes the report incorrect especially in a city that has a diverse population. In an instance in which the offender commits two or more crimes, recording of the minor does not take place making the report inaccurate. On most occasions, burglary is seen as an ordinary crime and most people do not report to the law force. Failure to report these incidences makes the FBI compile and publish inaccurate crime statistics. Some agencies may fail to report the known crimes of certain regions to the FBI in time and this results in inaccurate publication.

It is important to ensure that burglary is brought to an end in both metropolitan areas despite the difference in their rates. The law enforcement agencies should always provide a correct report to the FBI. These agencies should compile and submit their reports in time and in the correct format to avoid rejection by the FBI. Every burglar must have a market for his or her stolen items. To curb burglary, everyone should purchase genuine items. Safes are important for keeping valuable items and documents from the access of burglars. The code of the safe should not be told to untrustworthy persons and changing it frequently is important. With improved technology, people should not keep money at home instead they should use credit cards for security reasons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, burglary is a crime committed in most parts of the world but at different rates. Several ways of fighting burglary are available examples; employment of security guards, installing alarms and locks, storage of important items in home safes, reporting a burglary to the police, proper lighting of homes, and good relation with the neighbors (Press, 2008). The government should take action against any burglar to put the crime to an end. Police should be ready to investigate and track suspected burglar’s movements before arresting him or her. The reporting agencies should be careful to give the correct report to the FBI to enable the government to fight burglary. This way the rate of burglary will decrease drastically in metropolitan areas.

Reference

Press, B. (2008). Crime in the United States. New York: Bernan press.

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