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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Prisoners in their own home How do you feel about new cell towers? Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Education Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Hands-On work with robots at ScienceWorks Environment Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Shiela R. Ettlich Karen June Shaw Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories Wade scores 32, Heat rally to beat Blazers AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game High school Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Southern Oregon University AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Young shoots Ducks into Pac-12 title game Raider softball team opens league play with split at Northwest Voices Latest Stories Landgren cartoon: Boston gets a ‘Frozen’ sequel Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Landgren cartoon: Sunshine Week Editorial Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Letters Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Herb Rothschild Jr.: Demonizing Putin makes case for war Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Jeffrey Gillespie: The opaqueness of Hillary Clinton Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Theater Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Theater review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' in Ashland Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Movie review: ‘Cinderella’ is an instant classic Shailene Woodley returns as Tris in ‘Insurgent’ Movie listings: March 13-18 Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Page H. Onorato: How food names came into being Tammy Kelly: Healthy leftover ham Lost in Suburbia: Top 10 reasons I like my dog better than my kids Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Comment By Tim George DailyTidings.com By Tim George Posted Mar. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Tim George Posted Mar. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Recently (Feb. 3), there was an article posted on the website “24/7 Wall Street” concerning cities with rising crime rates from 2009-2013. This article was followed by one in USA Today. This article stated Medford’s violent crime rate had risen some 80.1 percent in the past five years. While I would agree that in the years from 2009 to 2013, Medford’s crime rate has risen, these numbers seemed both high and inaccurate. There are a number of variables that at first blush were not taken into consideration with the article’s ranking of our city. The statistics used for this ranking concern the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes all law enforcement agencies in Jackson County that report crime statistics to the FBI — not just Medford. As we looked deeper into this report we found 70 percent of all violent crime in our MSA was aggravated assaults.  For reporting purposes, violent crimes include murder/manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.  An audit of Medford’s 2013 aggravated assault cases found we (Medford Police) were too liberal in our coding, resulting in approximately 125 assault cases being changed back to “simple assaults.” That dropped the MSA violent crime rate by 30.8 percent which in turn changed the total violent crime rate for the five-year period to 49.6 percent, not the 80.4 percent reported in the article.  While still not good, it is not as drastic as initially reported. How other agencies have reported, or coded, their aggravated assaults, or how they interpreted the FBI’s definition is unknown to us. We can only assume there are many other variables that come into play when reporting crime. In Oregon in 2012, strangulation was increased to a felony assault in certain circumstances, which increased the total aggravated assault numbers. Before it was mandated to classify strangulation as an aggravated assault, it was classified based on level of injury to the victim, so it could have been reported as either aggravated assault or simple assault.   The lack of public safety resources in some regions can also have an impact on the ability to respond to calls for service, let alone file a correct report. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report site did not reflect any violent crime data from some Oregon jurisdictions in certain years.   Unfortunately, in Oregon, if you are the victim of an aggravated assault, or other person crime, the overwhelming odds are the suspect will be known to you. This drives our aggravated assault numbers, as the majority of these cases occur in domestic violence situations. This is an area of concern that we are addressing with more effort.   What really matters is an agency’s trust with the community it serves. This trust results in citizens reporting all crimes that they are a victim of, or have information on. This not only results in a true picture of the crimes occurring in our jurisdiction, but allows us the opportunity to have an impact by investigating/solving them. The Medford Police Department is diligent in both the taking of a crime report and reporting our year-end crime numbers to the state. The FBI receives the numbers from the state for its Uniform Crime Report.   Medford has not experienced a murder or non-negligent manslaughter in the last year and a half. That is great news! We have worked hard to investigate and take appropriate action in all domestic violence investigations. The follow-up work our Domestic Violence Advocate and our grant-funded Domestic Violence Officer do in domestic violence investigations is paying off. This is reducing the threat and providing safety for victims. Hopefully, our aggravated assault numbers will also begin to decrease. There are a number of variables that drive violent crime in a community. Our serious drug problem combined with continued domestic/sexual violence occurrences are two we face frequently. Even one violent crime is one too many. The Medford Police Department is committed to the investigation of every violent crime. Our promise to the citizens of Medford is to give each victim our best effort. We always have — and we always will. While there may be nothing “uniform” about the Uniform Crime Report, there will be uniformity in how the Medford Police Department responds, reports, and investigates each violent crime. That is our promise to you.     Tim George is Medford's chief of police. By Tim George DailyTidings.com By Tim George Posted Mar. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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