When the recession hit in late 2008, there were dire predictions by some law enforcement authorities that crime would increase in Blaine County. Instead, just the opposite has happened.
Information compiled by the Blaine County Court Clerk's Office shows that the number of criminal cases filed in the county in 2009 dropped 29 percent from the previous year.
The number of criminal cases filed from 2005-2008 was fairly consistent, averaging just under 1,240 per year. But in 2009 only 832 were filed—778 misdemeanors and 54 felonies.
Indications are that the lower crime rate is continuing into 2010. In the first quarter of this year, 211 cases were filed—203 misdemeanors and eight felonies.
"When the bad economy hit, I actually expected crime to rise, but it's been just the opposite," said Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter. "Yes, it is a surprise."
Gunter said the decrease in crime might be because there are fewer people in the Wood River Valley. He said there seem to be fewer vehicles on the highway these days and vacancies are up in some apartment complexes, but he hasn't seen statistics to verify a population decrease.
"You'd think that there would be an increase in theft crime because of high unemployment, but we haven't seen that," Gunter said.
Information was not available to determine if a 29 percent decline in crime was unique to Blaine County or if similar numbers were being experienced elsewhere in Idaho.
Pennie Blamires, an analyst with the Idaho State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit, said preliminary data for 2009 show that crime was up in some areas and down in others but that comprehensive statewide data is still being compiled and analyzed.
ISP issues an annual Statewide Crime Profile that provides comparative data, but the 2009 report will not be available until early July.
"Although my observations are somewhat anecdotal, conversations with other law enforcement personnel and community leaders about the drop in crime rate reflect similar comments about this phenomenon," Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas stated in a written response to the Idaho Mountain Express. "In any event, a drop in the crime rate is good news for our community and tends to highlight one of the reasons—safe community—many of us choose to live and raise our families here."
Thomas attributed the decrease in crime in Blaine County to a change in the "workforce demographics."
"We have fewer seasonal workers, a smaller transient construction workforce and less people who have no vested interest in the community," he said.
Blaine County Commission Chair Larry Schoen attributed the crime drop to "a general drop in all kinds of activity." He noted that there have been fewer jobs, fewer workers, fewer visitors and a lower level of economic energy.
Schoen said he, too, had heard predictions that crime would increase during the recession.
"I think a lot of people felt that way, but that's not borne out by your statistics," he said.
Schoen said something he's observed about the Wood River Valley is that people here are more prone to pull together in times of hardship.
"We have a community that hangs together rather than hanging separately," he said. "Who are you going to rob if your neighbor has just lost his job, too?"
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Information provided by the Blaine County Court Clerk’s Office shows that the number of criminal court filings was fairly consistent from 2005-2008 but dropped by 29 percent in 2009. Express graphic by Coly McCauley
