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3 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 Jackson County voters approve pot tax 'Tis the season: Growers market reopens ASHLAND: Oak Knoll to host free FootGolf event AGING HAPPENS: Ashland synagogue hosts screening of Chopra film Oregon leader Dave Frohnmayer dies at age 74 Education Willow Wind students raise money for water Getting its balancing act together Pulling strings for youth music education Bee college takes to the air Grizzlies shine at Eugene speech tourney Environment 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 The birdman of Bellview Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Civic sedan Silvio Calabi: Mercedes-Benz ML250 raises the diesel 4×4 stakes Ride & Drive: 2015 Chrysler 300 Silvio Calabi: Volvo XC60 is sexy safety in an SUV Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Politics and elections 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 Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Read Gov. John Kitzhaber's statement on his resignation Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries William F. Christofferson Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Ramona G. (Austin) Fletcher Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential No. 10 SOU women brace for national tourney breakfast bracket ASHLAND: Oak Knoll to host free FootGolf event Fantasy Sports: There are plenty of quality producers at third Raiders tied for third, Gutches two wins from four-peat at NAIA nationals High school Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Grizzlies let second-half lead slip away in season-ending loss to CV Williams named first-team all-star Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Southern Oregon University No. 10 SOU women brace for national tourney breakfast bracket Raiders tied for third, Gutches two wins from four-peat at NAIA nationals SOU's Maguin advances to 400 final Gimme a break Fourth-ranked Raiders, Gutches try to make noise at NAIA nationals Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Letters to the Editor, March 11 Landgren cartoon: Farewell to circus elephants Landgren cartoon: Potholes Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Editorial Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Our view: Ashland tackles school attendance areas the right way Our View: Spelling out safety Our View: Our View: A growing concern Letters Letters to the Editor, March 11 Letters to the Editor, March 9 Letters to the Editor, March 7 Letters to the Editor, March 5 Letters to the Editor, March 4 Guest opinions 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 Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Columns Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Council Corner: Solar power in Ashland's future Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Community blog: Memorize poems with your whole body Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Review: OSF keeps the comedy afloat in 'Much Ado' Music Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Victor D. Infante: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, some favorite breakup songs The Farr Side: Smith dominates, Beck surprises at Grammys Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies AGING HAPPENS: Ashland synagogue hosts screening of Chopra film Laid-back Liam Neeson and Ed Harris get vicious in ‘Run All Night’ Pop Culture Notebook: ‘Community,’ ‘Avengers’ and ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ on the horizon Antionette Kerr: Nimoy’s legacy lives on in ‘Star Trek’ Movie review: ‘Chappie’ is charming sci-fi with a violent edge Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend (March 13-15) Dear Monty: Successful rezoning property requires a plan Lost in Suburbia: Fifty shades of dirty dog Dave Ramsey: The problem with being impulsive AGING HAPPENS: Ashland synagogue hosts screening of Chopra film Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Scenic Bikeway is another way to put Ashland on the map ... Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well ... Jackson County voters approve pot tax ... Our View: Scenic Bikeway is another way to put Ashland on the map ... Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well ... Jackson County voters approve pot tax ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report By Tim George DailyTidings.com By Tim George Posted Mar. 8, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Tim George Posted Mar. 8, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> 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 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. 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