LANSING, Mich — Crime in Lansing is showing significant decreases in several key areas during the first six months of the year, according to the Lansing Police Department.
• Homicides are down 55 percent compared to last year.
• Sexual assault has decreased by 19 percent.
• Burglary and larceny have dropped by 20 percent and 15 percent respectively.
LPD Chief Rob Backus says these decreases are the result of proactive work by the department.
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"Internally, we're doing a lot of proactive work to make sure we are getting in front of the crime that is happening faster," Backus said.
The police chief credits the success to officers working around the clock, developing partnerships with community organizations, and creating new internal programs.
"We've developed new programs to develop crime patterns, identify crime scenes and to have a response," Backus said.
Despite the positive trends, some crime categories have seen increases. Recent data from LPD shows felonious assault is up by 16 percent and robbery is up by 34 percent compared to last year.
"It's important that when you do see increases you try and understand why those increases are happening, so you could come up with a strategy to prevent them," Backus said.
When asked about specific strategies to address these increases, Backus explained their approach focuses on data analysis.
"Right now, it's about looking at where these are happening and what times are they happening. For example, if our incidents are happening between 11 pm and 2 am, we know we need more patrol at that time," Backus said.
Jasmine Cooper-Jones, who was born and raised on the Southside of Lansing, has witnessed crime in her community firsthand.
"Being from the Southside, you kinda see the crime around you," Cooper-Jones said.
However, she recognizes that crime isn't isolated to just one area of the city. "Crime means you're probably doing something you shouldn't be doing," she said.
Cooper-Jones remains optimistic about the future of safety in Lansing.
"Things could happen and growth could happen where the community doesn't feel the need to do those types of things," Cooper-Jones said.
Backus expressed confidence in the department's current approach. "To see these kind of decreases in the first 6 months, we know we are doing something right," he said.
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