By Sonja Elmquist
The News& Record
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Police are using the same strategy to fight a rising tide of violent robberies - which have increased by nearly half since 2005 - that they used to stem drug sales in 2006 and a wave of homicides in the 1990s.
The Violent Crimes Task Force unites opportunities for past criminals to turn their lives around with job training and rehab with the threat of harsher punishment. Police partner with service organizations and federal law enforcement agencies to outline at once the reward and the punishment for the person’s future choices.
Police credit the task force for reducing homicides and drug sales, and now they expect the same success with the most recent scourge, robberies.
“This appears to be where our new crime trend is,” said Lt. Mike Kirk, the department’s spokesman. “All major metropolitan areas have seen an up-tick in robberies.”
High Point is no exception.
In 2005, High Point’s robbery rate was 232 robberies per 100,000 residents. The next year, the rate increased to 277, up 19 percent.
Last year was even worse. The rate was 342 robberies, a 24 percent increase over 2006 and nearly 50 percent over 2005. (High Point police record crime statistics in rates per 100,000 residents. Because High Point’s population is 93,094, the rate and the static number are virtually the same, Kirk said).
“This year we got the numbers in and we were like, ‘Wow, we got a lot of robberies,’ ” Kirk said.
The department’s tactic uses in-depth analysis of crime data to target past and likely offenders with the tools for success - even bus tokens if that’s what someone needs to get to work - and a notice that police are watching them. Anyone who gets the opportunity to change but commits further crimes is targeted for federal charges, carrying more prison time than state charges.
The strategy already is yielding results, Kirk said. Patrick Lamont Baskin, 26, of 407 Taylor St., High Point, was arrested Wednesday on a federal weapons charge. Baskin was indicted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had previously participated in High Point’s Violent Crimes Task Force.
“Baskin came through this program,” Kirk said. “Even after that he made a conscious and rational decision to carry on with his criminal activity.”
His is the first such arrest since police began applying the strategy to robberies two weeks ago, Kirk said. Several other robbery arrests have come from using the database, but Baskin was the first to be arrested who hadn’t yet committed a robbery.
The weapon charge isn’t related to the robberies, but part of the strategy is to turn the tide by prosecuting likely robbers on any criminal charge possible.
“He was in these areas, he had a firearm, he has a history of robberies and violent activities,” Kirk said.
“He has a high potential of being involved in these activities.”
Baskin also is a validated gang member, according to police. Kirk noted that an increasing number of robberies are committed by people under 21.
“We think that gang culture and influence is starting to have an impact even if that person isn’t a validated gang member. They may be an associate or just be around it,” Kirk said.
Copyright 2008 News & Record