Statistics show crime up slightly in Meridian
By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
November 2, 2004
National statistics show crime in Meridian was up slightly in 2003 but police said today that Lauderdale County's biggest municipality is still one of the safest places to live.
Data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports show that people reported 2,045 incidents of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto burglary and arson during calendar year 2003.
The number was slightly higher than the 1,836 reported during calendar year 2002. The biggest increase came in the category of larceny and thefts, which jumped from 955 in 2002 to 1,138 in 2003.
Lt. Dean Harper, spokesman for the Meridian Police Department, said the biggest reason for the increase in crime was a rise in identity thefts, embezzlements and cyber thefts.
Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose could not be reached for comment. Assistant Police Chief Keith McCary said he had not had a chance to look at the FBI numbers in detail; the FBI statistics were released last week.
Despite the slight increase in total crime, Harper said the MPD is "still doing a great job and Meridian is still a safe place to live and work."
Harper said the best way to keep crime down in a city is to make sure everyone is involved.
Here is a look at FBI crime statistics for calendar year 2003. Statistics are shown for Meridian, Greenville and Tupelo. Greenville, with 40,419 residents, and Tupelo, with 35,091, are similar in population to Meridian, which has 39,649 people based on the latest U.S. Census figures.
Violent crime
Meridian: 195
Greenville: 370
Tupelo: 90
Murder/manslaughter
Meridian: 8
Greenville: 13
Tupelo: 1
Forcible rape
Meridian: 27
Greenville: 19
Tupelo: 19
Robbery
Meridian: 94
Greenville: 140
Tupelo: 32
Aggravated assault
Meridian: 66
Greenville: 198
Tupelo: 38
Burglary
Meridian: 573
Greenville: 1,101
Tupelo: 379
Larceny/theft
Meridian: 1,138
Greenville: 2,749
Tupelo: 1,446
Motor vehicle theft
Meridian: 112
Greenville: 190
Tupelo: 141
Arson
Meridian: 27
Greenville: 49
Tupelo: 4
