Violent crimes are defined as murder, forcible rape, robbery (“taking anything of value by force or violence or threatening harm”), and aggravated assault (using or displaying a weapon, or causing aggravated bodily injury, broken bones, loss of consciousness, etc.) This group of crimes is known as the Violent Crime Index by the FBI, and the Turley and Haas report includes other assaults involving force or the threat of force, sex offenses, and kidnapping/abduction.
Of the most violent crime ridden counties, Kanawha, topped the list. Cabell, Logan, Mercer, and Wood counties fall into the second highest rate category. With the addition of Raleigh and Berkeley counties, these seven counties accounted for nearly 60 percent of all violent crimes in West Virginia in 2004. The lowest rate of reported violent crimes was in Calhoun County where in 2004 only one violent Crime Index offense was reported, compared to 1,010 in Kanawha. Next in line for low crime numbers were Taylor, Ohio (which may “be underreported in 2004 due to unavailability of Wheeling Police Department data”), Hancock, and Wetzel counties.
While it is understandable that Calhoun, a county with a sparse population, would have fewer violent crimes than Kanawha, perhaps the state’s most populous county, their rankings hold true when made on a per capita basis. Calhoun reported 0.13 violent crimes per 1,000 residents while Kanawha reported 5.17 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
Wetzel County remained close to its ranking when the numbers were converted to a per capita basis. The local area ranked fifth lowest in the state with 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Haught says of the CJSAC findings, “I’m encouraged by the study, and I think it is accurate for Wetzel County. In my six years of experience as prosecuting attorney there have been no murders, but there are still areas of concern. We need to focus on domestic violence and sexual assault against children.” Haught went on to discuss his view of the crime situation in the county, “In a nutshell, there are three types of crime which repeatedly show up in Magistrate Court: worthless check writing, which is the result of poor economy and gambling, especially video lottery; driving under the influence; and domestic battery. Then in Circuit Court we see crimes related to drugs, crimes against property, and sexual assault where the victim is less than 18 years of age. We seldom see adult rapes in Wetzel County, but all crimes against children continue to be a concern.”
Haught offered this advice, “If more people would get involved—that’s the key to crime prevention. People need to call the police when they see a crime or suspect domestic violence. To keep Wetzel County safe, we need community involvement.”
Wetzel County Sheriff James Hoskins says about Wetzel’s success, “I believe there are different reasons Wetzel County has one of the lowest violent crime rates in West Virginia. There has been a good team effort by the various agencies in Wetzel County to work with each other to keep Wetzel County safe. Not only in law enforcement, but other community and family oriented government agencies.
“Individuals as well as non-governmental agencies are also assisting my office with ideas and input to keep Wetzel County safe. I believe the cooperation between the different agencies, organizations, and citizens in Wetzel County is a major factor in the low violent crime rate in Wetzel County.
“Another reason violent crime rate is low is because the people in Wetzel County care about their communities. Wetzel County has a strong commitment to family values. This commitment to family is another factor contributing to the low violent crime rate in Wetzel County.
“I have an excellent group of deputies who are determined to keep Wetzel County safe. The deputies and I will continue to take the necessary steps in keeping our citizens protected. The primary focus of the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office is the eradication of drugs in our communities and the safety of children and families in Wetzel County.”
In the United States recently, in the years covered by the report, 2000-2004, violent crimes have been on a general decline. “Violent crime estimates follow recent declines in the number of offenses reported at both the state and national level,” the report states. However, the reduction of violent crimes in West Virginia has been much more pronounced. West Virginia crimes decreased by 17.7 percent in the years of the report, but nationally crimes reduced only 4.1 percent.
In West Virginia there were roughly 227 offenses per 100,000 state residents. In comparison. The 2004 rate for offenses in the U.S. was 465.5 per 100,000 residents, or over twice the rate of West Virginia. Other sources of data reveal similar conclusions.
According to the Disaster Center, a crime data gathering service, “in the year 2000 West Virginia had an estimated population of 1,808,344 which ranked the state 37th in population.” With first being the state with the highest number of reported Crime Index offenses, according to the database, West Virginia ranked 47th. This data included burglary, larceny-theft, and vehicle theft, in addition to the crimes described in the violent crime list above. The data was not reported for any years more recent than 2000.
The 16-page report compiled by The Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center goes into greater detail as to the instances of weapon use in West Virginia, with emphasis on firearm offenses, and county distribution of violent crime arrests. It is interesting to note that although overall figures from 2000 to 2004 show a decrease in violent crimes in West Virginia, from 2003-2004 there was an increase in some types of crimes, among those being simple assault and intimidation arrests.
The CJSAC operates as an arm of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, and Turley and Haas obtained data from the WV State Police Reporting System, the US Census Bureau, the US Department of Justice, and the FBI. Interested readers may find more information by going to the Criminal Justice Web site www.wvdcjs.com or writing to Division of Criminal Justice Services, 1204 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, WV 25301.