“Even though we have these swings, our [crime] numbers are generally low, so if you add a few numbers one way or another, you can have a percentage change that surprises you,” he said.
The city saw 417 more crimes committed in 2018 than 2017. Some of that climb can be linked to an increase in stolen and burglarized cars as well as simple assaults, or assault that does not cause a serious injury. In 2018, the simple assault rate grew by 20 percent, or 62 incidents.
Still, violent crime in Richardson has historically been much lower than the state and national average, and 2018 was no different. Robberies of individuals, for example, declined last year by 65 percent, or 42 incidents.
Spivey attributed Richardson's low crime rate to a strong neighborhood watch program, the presence of neighborhood-specific patrol officers, the prevalence of security cameras and a large cohort of citizen volunteers.
“Put the cameras together with the crime watch patrols, and you have really got an asset that is going to kick crime back to Garland and Dallas," he said.
