Maine’s violent crime rate declines Bangor, Brewer numbers up, still below national average

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The number of violent and property crimes reported in the state is down, but those crimes are on the increase in the cities of Bangor and Brewer.

Even so, the 2003 crime rates for the state and the sister cities of Bangor and Brewer still are much lower than the national average.

“Bangor’s violent crime rate is 135.1 [per 100,000 in population], which is three and a half times lower than the national average,” Bangor Police Chief Don Winslow said Tuesday. “National violent crime rates, which are based on incidents reported per 100,000 in population, were 475.”

The FBI annually compiles statistics through its Uniform Crime Reporting system on violent crimes, including murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery and releases the figures each autumn. The report also lists property crimes including burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Maine had the second lowest violent crime rate in the nation for 2003 at 108.9 incidents per 100,000 people, with only South Dakota scoring better with a rate of 77.8. Bangor is given a UCR ranking by the FBI because the city’s population is more than 10,000. The Bangor region, which includes much of Penobscot County, including Brewer and a small portion of Waldo County, also is listed by the FBI as a low crime area for the country, Winslow said.

“We rank as the second safest city nationwide, under metropolitan statistical areas,” the chief said. “The only area that beat us was Bismarck, North Dakota.

“It’s clear the city of Bangor continues to be one of the safest communities in which people may work, reside or visit,” Winslow said.

Based on 2003 statistics, Bangor, with a population of 31,815, saw 43 violent crimes, including two murders, and 1,746 property crimes for a total of 1,789 reports.

“To have two homicides, it looks like we’ve had a huge increase, but over time we’ve had very few,” Winslow said. “In 2002 we had zero and in 2001 we had one.”Heather Fliegelman Sargent, 20, was eight months pregnant with her first child when her husband stabbed her 47 times, causing her death. Sargent’s body was found on Monday, Jan. 6, 2003, at the couple’s Rainbow Trailer Park residence.

Thomas Forni, 51, was murdered on June 24, 2003 at his First Street apartment by the son of a family friend.

The 2003 figures for Bangor include four rapes, 19 robberies, 18 aggravated assaults, 209 burglaries, 1,495 thefts, 42 vehicle thefts and four arsons.

In 2002, 1,646 violent and property crimes were reported in Bangor.

Brewer, with 9,107 residents, reported five violent crimes in 2003 and 396 property crimes, which is a significant increase in property crimes from the year prior. In 2002, there were seven violent crimes and 258 property crimes.

“Crimes in the state are going down generally from 2002, but our property crimes are up in Brewer this year – more than I would like to have seen,” Brewer Police Department Acting Chief Danny Green said Tuesday. “We still have a major substance abuse problem out there, and that’s proven by the number of burglaries and thefts we’re experiencing.”

Larceny or theft accounts for the largest portion of crimes in Brewer with 351 reports, and burglary is the second largest category with 34 reports. Many of the property crimes in Brewer can be directly associated with drug user arrests, Green said.

“We’re finding a lot of our burglaries are being committed by users addicted to substances,” he said. “We know that because we’re clearing a lot of these cases and [the perpetrators are] telling us they are trying to feed a habit.”

“These numbers are disturbing to me personally,” Green said. “I wish they were much less but … comparatively thinking, Brewer is still an extremely safe community.”

In the past eight years, Maine’s crime figures have remained flat or have slightly declined. The number of crimes reported statewide dropped by 881 between 2002 and 2003.

A total of 1,422 violent crimes, including 16 murders and 32,078 property crimes were reported in Maine during 2003, which equals 33,500 reports.

In 2002, Mainers reported 34,381 violent and property crimes to law enforcement with 14 of those being murder.

Nationwide, an estimated 11.8 million crimes were reported to police in 2003.

The number of violent crimes reported around the country decreased by 3 percent in 2003, and property crimes are down slightly with a 0.2 percent decrease, according to FBI figures.

These numbers may seem small, but over the last decade the violent crime rate has decreased by 25 percent and the property crime rate has decreased by 14 percent for the country.

The FBI report shows New England as a safe area of the country to live, with crime rates in New Hampshire at 148.8 and Vermont with 110.2. North Dakota was the only other state to score under 200 with the index, with a rate of 173.4.

The District of Columbia had the highest crime ranking in the nation, with a rate of 1,608.1, which is more than double the crime rate of the second highest ranked state.

The following are results from area communities:

. Augusta, population 18,712; violent crimes, 62 reports in 2002, 32 reports in 2003. Forcible rape accounted for 29 of the violent crime reports in 2002. Property crimes remain close for both years.

. Lewiston, population 36,237; property crimes, 1,719 reports in 2002, only 1,330 in 2003. Violent crime numbers for the same period remained the same at 79 and include one murder in 2002 and two murders in 2003.

. Orono, population 9,192; reported one robbery, one aggravated assault and 171 property crimes in 2003. In 2002, 154 thefts, 14 burglaries and seven vehicles thefts, with no violent crimes.

. Calais, population 3,396; In 2003, 21 violent crimes, mostly aggravated assault, and 162 property crimes. Similar data for 2002, with 23 violent crimes and 161 property crimes.

. Dover-Foxcroft, population 4,254; nine violent crimes and 115 property crimes in 2003; 12 violent crimes and 110 property crimes in 2002.