Compared to many cities of our size, Savannah has a high crime rate.
That’s the first thing to keep in mind if you’re following the current discussions about the integrity of statistics that show a modest decrease in crime in 2012.
It’s clear we need to develop and implement new strategies to minimize crime.
Over the years in this column, I’ve routinely expressed my ongoing astonishment that Savannah tolerates highly visible street level drug and prostitution activity in the Jefferson Street corridor. I have high hopes the police force’s new drug unit will address obvious problem areas like that.
There are no doubt myriad other steps that we could take to reduce crime, but things aren’t going to change overnight.
All that said, there’s no harm in questioning the data, as Alderman Tony Thomas and others have done recently.
First, it’s worth noting that we’re talking about the number of reports of crimes, not the number of actual crimes.
Many crimes go unreported.
While it’s possible that victims are sometimes dissuaded from filing reports, it’s probably more likely that the victims are either fearful of turning someone in or skeptical that an investigation will be fruitful.
It’s also possible some crimes are being downgraded when the reports are filed.
But we’re talking about a large amount of data, compiled by many different professionals and checked many times. Absent some clear indications of manipulation or conspiracy, the numbers have considerable integrity.
For example, consider a crime like auto theft, which is almost certain to be both reported and categorized correctly. From 2008 to 2012, reports of auto theft fell 46 percent jurisdiction wide.
Over that same time period, reports of commercial burglaries fell 60 percent.
It’s hard to ignore numbers like those.
Still, it’s worth adding that some data points have changed little over the last three years. Reports of violent crime were down in 2012 compared to 2011, but still higher than in 2010.
And it’s worth mentioning that crime might be on an upward trend in some areas. In 2012, the Southside Precinct had more reports of commercial robbery, commercial burglary, residential burglary, theft from a vehicle and auto theft than in 2011.
While total Southside crime last year was essentially stagnant compared to the previous year, those are worrisome numbers.
So let’s have a good debate about the data and its integrity.
But let’s also keep in mind that we have a lot of crime in this city. We need to keep working hard to minimize it.
More news from the Savannah restaurant scene
Last week, I noted that Casbah Moroccan Restaurant closed recently after 15 years on Broughton Street.
Red Marsid, who ran Casbah and who opened The Mirage three years ago with his brother, Tony, subsequently got in touch with some details.
Marsid said he and his brother essentially decided to combine their two restaurants. Menu items from the Casbah — plus the belly dancing — can now be found at The Mirage. The Casbah website has been updated to reflect the consolidation.
In combining the two restaurants under The Mirage name, the brothers can trade off management duties and have more time to spend with their families.
The Mirage is located at 20 E. Broughton St. between Bull and Drayton streets.
In other news, Sammy Green’s announced last week that it has closed.
The restaurant occupied a narrow storefront on Abercorn Street near 33rd Street. It offered inventive menu items, amazing flavors and low prices for more than two years.
But Sammy Green’s faced a variety of changes and challenges.
The restaurant business is just plain tough. Spots like Sammy Green’s that rely on a significant amount of SCAD traffic face special challenges during the college’s long break from late November to early January.
Another upbeat report on local employment
I might dive more deeply into the numbers in an upcoming column, but the Georgia Department of Labor’s most recent estimates suggest continued improvement in the local job market.
The number of payroll jobs in the Savannah metro area increased by 5,100 (3.4 percent) in December compared to the previous year.
We’re still well below the pre-recession peak of employment, but I’m increasingly optimistic that we’ll hit that mark in 2014, a bit earlier than previous estimates.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.