Less Violent Crime In Strongsville In 2016

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Bucking state and national trends, violent crimes decreased in Strongsville in 2016, according to data released by the FBI on Monday. Meanwhile, Ohio, as a whole, saw a sharp increase in violent crimes. The number of murders in the Buckeye State, for instance, increased 31 percent from 2015 to 2016.

There were only 19 violent crimes in Strongsville last year. The data shows 14 robberies and five aggravated assaults being committed throughout 2016.

Those numbers are down sharply from 2015, when there were 35 violent crimes in Strongsville. There was one rape, 15 robberies and 19 aggravated assaults that year. There were no murders in the city in 2016 or 2015. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Strongsville newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Property crimes increased slightly last year versus 2015. There were 849 property crimes in 2016: 65 burglaries, 797 larceny thefts, 20 stolen cars and one case of arson.

Compare that to 2015 when there were 58 burglaries, 782 larceny thefts and nine cars stolen. There were no cases of arson that year.

However, while Strongsville saw a decrease in violent crime, both Ohio and the nation saw a sharp increase.

The Bigger Picture

In Ohio, there were 654 murders reported, or 5.6 murders for every 100,000 people, in 2016, up from 500 murders, 0r 4.3 per every 100,000 in 2015, the FBI data shows. Additionally, the FBI data also shows that the number of rapes increased to 5,589 from 5,149, or 9%, and the number of aggravated assaults climbed to 16,111 from 15,695, or 3% in 2016 from 2015.

The uptick in violent crimes in Ohio mirrored an uptick nationally. The FBI report shows there were an estimated 1.2 million violent crimes in the U.S. in 2016, and while those numbers rose from 2015 to 2016, the five-year trend shows an increase of 2.6 percent from 2012, and the 10-year trend shows a decrease in violent crimes of 12.3 percent from 2007. Murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are considered by the FBI to be violent crimes.

“For the sake of all Americans, we must confront and turn back the rising tide of violent crime. And we must do it together,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our state, local, and tribal partners across the country to deter violent crime, dismantle criminal organizations and gangs, stop the scourge of drug trafficking, and send a strong message to criminals that we will not surrender our communities to lawlessness and violence.”

For more information on Ohio's uptick in violent crime, click here.

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