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Medford sees less of worst crimes City has double-digit drop from same period in 1998 By JULIE SWENSEN Serious crime in Medford has dropped by 15 percent over the first four months of this year compared with the same period last year, new police statistics show. A compilation of crime reports through April 1999 shows that reports of serious crimes, called Part 1 crimes, dropped 15 percent from the same period in 1998. Part 1 crimes include offenses such as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Reported crimes dropped 10.5 percent in the Part 2 category, which includes offenses such as simple assault, fraud and forgeries. "Those are good numbers when you get a double-digit reduction," Medford police Lt. Tim George said. George said April was the third month in a row in which reported crime dropped sharply from the same month a year before. Part 3 crimes, which include everything else from fatal accidents to noise disturbances, decreased 3.6 percent. Among the noticeable drops were bicycle thefts, down 44 percent with 61 reports this year compared with 109 last year. Nonresidence (usually commercial) burglaries dropped 42 percent, with 65 reports this year compared with 112 during the same period last year. Bike shop owners have been diligent in stressing bike security and registration, and residents are doing a better job of locking their bikes and closing their garage doors, George said. As for the commercial burglaries, George attributed the drop to police helping businesses take steps to reduce crime, and to Measure 11, the truth-in-sentencing law passed by voters that is sending serious offenders to prison for longer periods of time. Among noncriminal incidents, injury motor vehicle accidents decreased 14.6 percent, and wrecks causing property damage went down 10.6 percent. George attributed the decrease in wrecks to the Medford police department's campaign to enforce red light violators last month. While some crimes plummeted, though, others rose: Among them, check fraud reports have risen 57.8 percent, with 71 in the first four months of this year, up from 45 the year before. George linked the increase in check fraud to the proliferation of technology, specifically computer software, printers, and scanners that make it easier to make real-looking documents. An increase was a good sign, though, in the number of arrests for driving under the influence of intoxicants, George said. Those were up 15.3 percent, with 204 this year compared with 177 for the same period last year. "I think overall, the more cars you stop, the more DUIIs you're going to find," George said. "Our officers are like hawks," he said. If you're driving drunk in Medford, "your chances of getting stopped are getting better every day." George said he thinks the public gets credit for the crime reduction, too, for reporting suspicious activity and encouraging people to drive more cautiously. "Everyone gets credit for this," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA