Crime becomes a growing pain

Donte Clinkscales recently fell victim to what police say is a growing crime trend in Columbia County: a car break-in.

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Jim Blaylock/Staff

Donte Clinkscales holds up the shattered glass from his truck window, which thieves broke to get inside the truck while it was in a transmission shop for repairs.

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Jim Blaylock/Staff

Columbia County sheriff's deputy Susan Vailencour drives through the parking lot at Wal-Mart. The department now has 339 deputies.

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Jim Blaylock/Staff

Columbia County deputy Susan Vailencour takes an accident report in ther parking lot of Wal-Mart in Evans. The sheriff's department has stepped up patrols of parking lots and apartment complexes in response to an increase of vehicle break-ins and theft.

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The 35-year-old Hephzibah resident took his Ford F-150 pickup to Cottman Transmission in Martinez for repair work. Instead, he received a broken window and a hole in his dash where his $130 CD player once was mounted.

"I really couldn't believe it," he said. "Most of the places where they work on vehicles, they're enclosed in fences. I couldn't see how someone could break into a vehicle on somebody else's property."

He might be victim of Columbia County's success. Rapid growth has many economic benefits, but officials say it also brings more crime to the burgeoning county.

For the most part, authorities say nonviolent crimes seem to keep Columbia County police busiest, with numbers in categories such as murder and aggravated assault staying low. Only armed robberies have increased in the major crime categories, from six from January to July 2005 to 12 so far this year, according to sheriff's office records.

Much of the county's crime this year, authorities say, has been nonviolent, including car break-ins, which have increased 26 percent from January to June, with 208 this year compared with 164 during the same period a year ago.

"Most of these break-ins are occurring during the late night and early morning hours in neighborhoods and apartment complex parking lots," Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said. He said less than half of this year's break-ins have been solved and that the most common item taken from cars is loose change.

In the past 2 years, overall crime in Columbia County has been rising for the first time in 10 years, causing the need for more deputies and a bigger sheriff's office budget, which accounts for the largest percentage of the county's budget.

The trend began in Columbia County in 2004 with a 2 percent rise in crime. It continued in 2005 with a 2.5 percent increase, and midway through this year overall crime is up 1.1 percent, Capt. Morris said.

"Since the crime rate has been relatively flat since 2000, we think it is safe to say we have reached a plateau,'' he said. "We do expect to see the crime rate fluctuate up and down in the coming years as our county continues to grow."

According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the county's population was 103,812, an increase of 14,524 compared with its 2000 population. Today, county planners estimate the population at about 105,000.

With such growth, the sheriff's office has increased its employees from 309 in 2004 to 339 this year, and its budget has grown from $10,646,474 in 2004 to $11,785,898 for 2006, according to figures provided by Capt. Morris.

Population increases in Grovetown also are adding to crime increases, Grovetown Department of Public Safety Capt. Gary Owens said.

"As soon as you have more citizenry, you have more crime," he said, adding that he estimates Grovetown's population at more than 10,000 residents.

Capt. Owens didn't know the population increase and how it compared with the crime rate increase. He did say his department plans to hire a new officer this year and two more next year to keep up with growth.

At the current rate, Grovetown likely will pass last year's numbers for burglaries. There were 40 burglaries in the city in 2005. Through August, there have been 35 burglaries. Already this year, the city has recorded two more car thefts, 10 in all, than in all of 2005.

Another factor contributing to higher crime numbers this year, Capt. Morris said, is truancy cases. Juvenile offenses have increased this year by 39 percent, or 180 cases, from 460 halfway through last year to 640 so far this year.

Most of the increased cases are truancy-related, he said.

Columbia County school officials instituted a tougher truancy policy in 2005. The new standards require educators to notify authorities after a student's third unexcused absence.

Like the county, Harlem might also have to endure a bump in the crime rate because of juvenile offenders.

Only 20 thefts were committed within the city limits in 2005. Through August this year, 15 thefts have occurred in Harlem, with nine committed by juveniles, Harlem Department of Public Safety Chief Jerry Baldwin said.

Earlier this month, the city also recorded its first burglary of the year, which Chief Baldwin attributed to teens.

"Last year, I think we had two burglaries total, and this year we may surpass that because of some ratty juveniles running around here," he said. "It makes me sick."

Harlem's first armed robbery in more than three years also took place earlier this month.

In total, Chief Baldwin suspects the crime rate is about 3 percent higher than the same time last year.

However, he points out that the total number of incidents in the city is relatively low and any increase in incidents exaggerates the percentages.

"We've had one armed robbery this year, where we didn't have any last year," he said. "That's an increase of 100 percent, but that's not really a fair way of putting it."

Reach Preston Sparks or Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222 or ccchron@augustachronicle.com.