Contact: Assistant Chief Anita Holder
Phone: 336-433-7294

City Crime Decreased in 2009 Compared to 2008

GREENSBORO, NC – (January 11, 2010) – The Greensboro Police Department's (GPD) annual crime statistics for calendar year 2009 show violent crime decreased by 4 percent and property crime declined by 3 percent compared to 2008, and homicides declined by 28 percent for the year.

A final version of the annual statistics for 2009 will be released within the next two months.

“Officers and investigators are committed to making Greensboro as safe as possible," said Police Chief Tim Bellamy. "Ultimately, though, it is the citizens of Greensboro who are responsible for the reduction. The decline suggests to me that citizens are proactive in reporting violations and are increasingly less tolerant of criminal activity in this city.

Bellamy also said residents should not interpret the downward trends as license to be less vigilant. “Crime trends generally follow a cyclical pattern and just as crime decreases for a variety of factors, it may increase in the future if those factors are not in place,” he said, adding that residents should use the annual reports as trend indicators rather than specific counts of criminal offenses.

The GPD generates annual data based on reported offenses during the year. Occasionally crimes are reported in one calendar year, but actually occurred in another and sometimes cases are unfounded as having not occurred at all. For those reasons, data that was presented in previous years may be slightly different than data generated with the most current information.

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The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 336-373-CITY (2489).