Month: March 2014

In conjunction with the ongoing conversation in another thread about comparing crime rates in northern side of Decatur to the southern side, DPD’s Sgt. Jennifer Ross crunched some 2012-present crime statistics for us.  (The dividing line between north and south in this data breakdown is the railroad tracks.)

And of course, you can always dig deeper into Decatur’s crime data on Crimereports.com.

As you can see, in most cases the northern side of the city – which includes a large majority of downtown Decatur – has higher crime rates than the southern, more residential southern side of the city.

Robberies:

• North = 41 *Includes 4 carjacking cases
• South = 22

Burglaries:

• North = 121
• South = 126

Entering Autos:

• North = 245
• South = 207

Theft by Taking/Motor Vehicle:

• North = 84
• South = 50

From DPD’s Sgt. Jennifer Ross…

On 3-30-14 at approximately 3:46 pm, Decatur Police responded to an armed robbery that occurred in the 100 block of Sycamore Place.  The victim reported she was in the parking lot organizing items in her vehicle when she was approached from behind by a male who demanded money.  The victim handed over the money she had on her and the male then reached into her vehicle and began going through items and took a bag that contained a small amount of money.  The victim observed the suspect holding a small black-handled kitchen paring style knife in his right hand. The suspect ordered the victim to walk away while he was going through items in her vehicle.  The suspect then threw the victim’s keys over a fence and ran west on East Howard Avenue.  The victim was not injured.

The suspect was described as a black male, dark complexion, approximately 6’0, slender build, wearing dark clothing and a gray knit cap.

From Decatur PD’s Sgt. Jennifer Ross…

On 3-28-14 at approximately 8 pm, Decatur Police responded to an armed robbery that occurred near the intersection of East Lake Drive and Oakview Road.  The victim reported she was walking from a restaurant to her bicycle when she encountered two males sitting nearby.  One of the males demanded money and the victim did not comply.  The suspect produced a handgun and again demanded money.  The victim tossed her backpack to the suspects and they fled south on East Lake Drive.  The victim fled north on East Lake Drive on her bicycle and collided with a vehicle.  The victim sustained minor injuries from the collision.

Suspect #1 was described as a black male, late 20’s to early 30’s, approximately 6′, slim build, low haircut, light brown complexion, with a round dark beauty mark on his right cheek and raspy voice, wearing a white t-shirt and dark jeans and armed with a large black semi-automatic handgun.  Suspect #2 was described as a black male, wearing a dark t-shirt and dark jeans.