LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / February 26, 2000

HAHNVILLE – Crime is dropping in St. Charles Parish in the face of populationincreases and targeting of drug trafficking as officials try to hit some crime at its source.

St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg C. Champagne announced a decrease inoverall reported crimes for the third consecutive year – from 2,768 incidents in 1997, to 2,753 in 1998 and 2,737 in 1999.

The 1999 year in crime statistics for St. Charles Parish reported twomurders, 51 robberies, 13 rapes, 113 auto thefts, 427 burglaries, 1,010 assaults and 1,124 thefts.

Robberies and assaults are up, the only flies in the ointment. Robbery wentfrom 40 in 1998 to 51 in 1999, and assaults went from 908 in 1998 to 1,010 in 1999.

“Looking at one quarter doesn’t tell you anything,” Capt. Patrick Yoesreported. “You’ve got to look at the overall picture.”In reviewing the sweep of crime statistics since the beginning of Champagne’s administration, certain crimes are taking a hit because of crackdowns in drug trafficking, such as auto theft, down 29 percent, and thefts, down 6 percent. Burglaries actually held steady, with no increases ordecreases.

Against crimes such as murders, rapes and assaults, there is little police can do to prevent such crimes. However, a higher public visibility on domesticviolence programs is hoped to cut that number down. Regardless, murder didnot change and rape went down 41 percent, from 22 to 13 incidents.

“We have some programs in place we hope will help,” Yoes continued.

Champagne observed, “From increased patrols to teaching law-related education in schools, it is an assortment of different efforts responsible for this constant decrease.”He added that once the new correctional center, just starting construction on Louisiana Highway 3127 near Killona, is open, an even greater crime incidence reduction should follow once repeat offenders are kept off the streets.

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