Understanding crime in Cleveland Heights: First in a series

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  • Chart 1: Violent crime in Cleveland Heights: Jan.-Oct. (lower is better)

    Source: Cleveland Heights Police Department

  • Chart 2: Serious property crime in Cleveland Heights: Jan.-Oct. (lower is better)

    A statistical decline in burglaries is an example of how the CHPD is applying its increased emphasis on accurate crime reporting, according to Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson. In 2011, there were 318 burglaries reported for the full year. That’s the same year an undercover Crime Suppression Team was established. Its job, Robertson said, is to understand current crime trends; follow up quickly and aggressively on reports of upward-trending crimes; investigate and arrest offenders, recover property and provide ongoing feedback about the case to victims. 

    Source: Cleveland Heights Police Department

  • Chart 3: Percent of crimes cleared in Cleveland Heights: Jan.-Oct. (higher is better)

    Clearance rates measure how many crimes are solved. A crime is cleared, by FBI definition, when at least one person has been arrested, charged and turned over for prosecution. On rarer occasions, it may be cleared through exceptional means, in which case the offender(s) has been identified and located and charges prepared, but an arrest cannot be made due to circumstances beyond police control, such as the suspect’s death or a victim’s refusal to cooperate. Recovery of property does not constitute clearance of a crime. The comparison of CHPD’s clearance rate with peer agencies (the striped bar on the chart) is based on the average clearance rate for all agencies in cities of similar size to Cleveland Heights--those with a population of 25,000-49,999. (The 2013 population of Cleveland Heights, according to the U.S. Census, is 45,394.)

    Source: Cleveland Heights Police Department

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