More violent crimes like rape and murder are being reported in Anchorage, according to new data released Tuesday by the FBI.
The data only measures crime in the first six months of both 2014 and 2015, but shows 16 murders for the first half of 2015. That’s up from six during the first half of 2014. The data also shows there were 130 more rapes in 2015, and aggravated assaults went up by 242 in the same time frame.
Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley said those numbers are really just half of the picture, and the rise in crime isn’t just in Anchorage, it’s nationwide.
“Don’t be too alarmed,” he said. “Put it in perspective. Lets be aware of what’s going on as a national trend. But at the same time, lets take this as a call to action to make our community a safer and more secure place to live.”
Chief Tolley said since he took over the department in October, his focus is the same — growing the force.
“What these stats really tell us is that we need to make sure we continue with this recruitment effort,” he said. “And we’re so fortunate that we have a mayor and an Assembly who’s behind that effort.”
The current police academy has 17 recruits going through training, and the mayor has requested two more academies this year. In the mean time, Chief Tolley said everyone in Anchorage can help.
“Report crimes through CrimeStoppers and through the various tip lines, and also get involved in your community,” he said.
For the thousands of Alaskans who enjoy being involved by listening to scanner traffic, he said he’s not sure if or when they’ll turn their public feed back on.
“I don’t have any finalized plans on that,” he said. “The most important thing here is people’s privacy and protecting people’s rights, making sure their information is not getting out when it shouldn’t.”
Tuesday marked eight days that the scanners have been silent. APD turned their scanners off after six back-to-back armed robberies in just a few days. They said they were worried the suspects were using scanners to their advantage.
Since then, there have been five more armed robberies. So far, they’ve made arrests in two of the 11 cases.
The FBI data showed robberies were up, but not by a large number. There were 24 more robberies in 2015 than in 2014.
You can view the FBI’s yearly reports on their website.
