Oregon Public Broadcasting

The FBI has published its latest compilation of crime statistics. Crime rates continue to drop in Oregon’s major metro areas, as well as in Southwest Washington.

In the Portland Metro area, the report says all crimes except rape decreased in 2009.

For Gresham, all categories of crime were down, except for thefts.

Vancouver’s police reported more murders and rapes in 2009, but fewer robberies and thefts.

Shannon Wight is with the Partnership for Safety and Justice, a non-profit that seeks alternatives to incarceration. She says there may be several reasons for the trend, including demographic changes.

Shannon Wight “A lot of it goes to show that we don’t  know everything that contributes to crime rate reduction. What we do know, some of it has to do with trends in population.”

Wight says separate reports on population show Oregon’s baby boomers are aging.

Also, fewer young people call Oregon home than in past decades. Since crimes tend to be committed by younger people, Wight says, that may explain why crime rates have declined.

The FBI’s annual crime report is compiled from local police statistics.