Violent crime rises in region
When police pulled the body of Annette Y. Vazquez, a 33-year-old woman missing since December, from a roadside snow bank in the town of Antwerp, the authorities were reminded of a glaring reality: Violent crimes reported to police since 2004 have increased dramatically in the north country.
In Jefferson County, the number of violent crimes — which include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — increased 17.3 percent from 2004 to 2008, according to statistics provided by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Still, those increases pale to the 46.2 percent and 41 percent increases seen in St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, respectively, during the same time frame.
"If you look at the numbers overall, we're up in the instances of crime being reported, but you also have to realize we have more people," said Brian Harte, associate professor of criminal justice at SUNY Canton. "The crime per capita has remained relatively steady with the exception of violent crimes, which continue to increase."
DRUGS DRIVING VIOLENT CRIME
Increases in drug use fuel upticks in violent crimes, both Mr. Harte and law enforcement officials told the Times.
"As far as drug trends, drug use is on the rise, and because of that we'll see a spike in those types of violent crimes in areas," Mr. Harte said.
Drug use is the largest contributor to violent crimes, Watertown Police Lt. Frank J. Derrigo said.
"Whenever we see a rise in drug usage, then we'll see a rise in larcenies, we see a rise in assaults and burglaries because of a need for the money because of the drugs," Lt. Derrigo said. "We'll see a the number of people using drugs increasing with the number of people unemployed, so yes, violent crimes do climb with an increase in the drug trade."
Increases in violent crimes committed in Jefferson County are driven largely by a 50.9 percent increase in the city of Watertown, according to state statistics. In 2004, 947 violent crimes were reported to Watertown police, compared to 1,429 in 2008.
Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force administrator Chris L. Cuppernell said the number of guns and the amount of drugs confiscated from homes the department raids is on the rise.
"We're seeing now the quality of the cases has gone up as far as the targets that are being identified and the quantity of the drugs," Mr. Cuppernell said.
The task force is made of members of Watertown police, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office; the state police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team is called upon for assistance.
"Our statistics for the end of the year, from 2008, were up 25 percent overall from 2007," Mr. Cuppernell said. "So far this year our stats are up 10 percent over this time in 2008."
The task force made 94 arrests in 2008, compared to the 70 made so far in 2009.
"That doesn't account for the drug arrests the patrol officers are encountering on a day-to-day basis in the city," Lt. Derrigo said.
The instances of aggravated assaults reported in the three-county area have increased 42.9 percent, from 296 reports in 2004 to 423 in 2008.
ECONOMY DRIVING PROPERTY CRIME
Mr. Harte said there is a link between an increase in crime and the nation's economic health. Those crimes, however, are generally associated with theft and burglary.
The state also tracks property crimes reported. Since 2004, property crime — which consists of burglary, larceny and auto theft — also has risen dramatically in Jefferson and Lewis counties. Spurred by a drop in reported larcenies, property crime in St. Lawrence County decreased 24.1 percent.
"Part of the reason some of these crimes, like larcenies and burglaries, occur is because of tension over money," Mr. Harte said. "It's basically people feeling stress about not being able to take care of what they need to, economically, at home, on a daily basis."
VICTIMS' SERVICES STRAINED
The case of Ms. Vazquez and the man accused of strangling her, Ramon Robles-Ruiz, 29, was billed by police and backed by neighbors' accounts as a domestic relationship gone awry.
Mr. Robles-Ruiz was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death.
"I would say yes, we are dealing with a lot of victims of violent crime and crime in and of itself," said Elaina Marra, executive director of the Victims Assistance Center of Jefferson County. "Those victims are more often coming to us with an array of problems."
In 2008, the center helped 1,388 clients in its nonresidential program and 380 people in its shelter.
"Most of our clients are victims of assaults and domestic violence," Ms. Marra said. "Our 2007 numbers are right in the same ballpark. I'd have to say in the last two years we've seen roughly 1,770 people in either our residential or non-residential programs."
The center maintains a 24-hour crisis hot line and emergency shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault victims.
"On average, across the board, it fluctuates, but we get about 200 calls a month," Ms. Marra said. "We had a little busier time in '08 than we've had in prior years. Summer has been very busy this year, too."
Ms. Marra agreed with law enforcement officials that substance abuse and a sour economy are contributing to the increase.
"The current economic issue, but alcohol and substance abuse are always factors that can exacerbate the situation to unsafe levels," she said. "The economic situation where people are struggling to make ends meet can greatly intensify domestic violence situations."
ALL FOR ONE SOLUTION
Curbing violent and property crime ultimately needs to be tackled by both police and community groups, officials said.
"It has to be attacked at a social level, through not only police but by victims assistance centers and domestic abuse hotlines," Mr. Harte said.
"The (drug task force) is so busy that there's only so much they can do," Lt. Derrigo said. "You could double the size of the task force personnel and they would be twice as busy next year. It looks like this is going to be a never-ending battle."
Times staff writer David Winters contributed to this report.
