The TAB’s Jim Morrison wrote a page one story today about decreased crime rates in Newton between 2013 and 2014 (not online yet.) Good news, mostly.
Here’s what had me puzzled though:
“Rapes were down 48 percent with 11 in 2014, compared to 21 in 2013.”
There were 11 reported rapes in Newton in 2014? 21 in 2013? I don’t remember reading about them in the TAB. Does anybody else?
Probably they happened on the college campuses, but I don’t think that means they wouldn’t be reported to the Newton police. And if they were reported to the Newton police, they should be reported to the TAB. I’d like to believe the TAB would publish that information.
In my years as TAB editor, I can remember maybe one or two rape stories. I don’t remember a dozen a year. Are these numbers incorrect, am I missing something, or is there some other explanation?
Gail,
The Newton Police Department gives us the names of people arrested for rape, and we always publish those in print. Gatehouse media stopped publishing arrests online a while back.
However, much of the information in rape cases is not public and we never see it.
If there was a random attack and the police were looking for a suspect, they’d release that information because it’s in the interest of public safety.
That’s been the case with every police department I’ve covered and I’m told it hasn’t changed since you worked for the TAB.
I hope that helps,
Jim
Jim,
When I worked for the TAB, the police said they gave us every every call that went into the police log that they considered worthy of public interest. We received as many as five to ten logs a day (although sometimes fewer). Every call made to the police department to report a crime is public, isn’t it? The names aren’t public but the reported crime is.
Don’t you think if 32 rapes were investigated in Newton in two years, the public should know?
Yes, I do. That’s why I wrote the story.
I agree with Gail that it would be good to get an explanation of those figures. One rape every three weeks is a jaw-dropping statistic for what is purportedly one of the safest cities in the country. In the two most recent years for which data is available, our neighbor to the west, Needham, had zero.
This is speculative but, if there has been an increase in rapes reported to the Newton Police Dept. over the last few years, and if most of these are occurring on local college campuses, this may reflect an increase in campus rapes being reported to the Newton Police by the colleges as opposed to solely an increase in rapes. There are colleges elsewhere that have run into legal issues for trying to handle sexual assault cases internally rather than reporting them to the local authorities. I have no idea if reporting policies have changed for Newton colleges but it would be something to check.
Knowing how Newton’s reputation shines as one of the safest cities in the U.S., I glanced at the headline and confidently moved on to read another article. I will now re-read that Tab article. If safe means “crimes not fully disclosed”, we must encourage a change. That’s two touchdowns for you, Gail, in less than a week! Thank you.
Great article Jim, it provoked an interesting discussion! I wonder if Gail didn’t like the article because she is still sour after being “let go” by the TAB?
@Flip: Show us where Gail said she didn’t like the article. All I read was her saying that she was alarmed by the number of rapes.
There may only have been 11 “reported” rapes in Newton last year, but rape is also the most underreported crime. Moreover, college students who have been raped are far less likely to report it to police than victims who are not in college, and both public and private universities tend to underreport campus rapes. But please do not assume that most of the rapes in Newton are happening on a college campus. Rape doesn’t just happen on college campuses or in poor, high crime neighborhoods. Like domestic violence, sexual assault happens in “nice” communities like Newton, too.
Good point Ted, and thanks for the link.
All: I hope the underlying point here doesn’t get overlooked. I’m not criticizing the TAB, I’m wondering why the police didn’t tell the TAB about 33 reported rapes in Newton in two years. And, I’m hoping that the paper has the resources to find out.
BTW, there were 2 reported rapes in Brookline in 2014, according to the Brookline Police Department. There were six in 2013 and three in 2012, according to this document. Granted, Newton is larger, but the numbers still don’t add up proportionally.
All,
This is a link to the state law that says reports of rapes are not public information.
It has nothing to do with whether or not they happened on college campuses. It has nothing to do with anyone withholding public information.
Cheers,
Jim
Thank for bringing the 411, Jim Morrison.
Jim,
I stand corrected and I thank you for checking it out. Here’s the bigger issue though: Somerville, a city about the same size as Newton reports about three rapes per year; Brookline reports two or three. If Newton has 32 reported rapes in two years, we have a big domestic violence problem.
Going forward, if anyone has a question about something I wrote, or wants to suggest a story to me, they should reach out. I’m easy to find and as Alderman Hess-Mahan will surely confirm, I’m one hell of a charming guy to talk to.
Jim
781.433.8333
[email protected]
Sorry Jim, but when I think a story is worthy of public attention — or when I think there’s a point that should be emphasized — I’m going to discuss it on Village 14. That’s what I see as our role. We do it all the time with your stories, just like we do it with Globe stories. The TAB isn’t going to write every story that its readers suggest, nor should it. Village 14 offers another place for conversation.
Well, baseless speculation is your right, but my offer stands.
Well, a lot of people seem to enjoy the information and news they get from Village 14, Jim. Something is keeping them coming here.
@Jim Morrison: You were quoted as saying:
“Rapes were down 48 percent with 11 in 2014, compared to 21 in 2013.” So here’s my observation: You were able to report 2013 and 2014 rape numbers because you got access to the stats that don’t seem to be available online (except for FBI figures for Mass. cities in 2012). Our numbers seem pretty high, though not as high as Springfield or several other of the 25 larger Mass. cities cited in the FBI table online. But with the national press ranking us as one of the safest cities in the U. S., it does seem strange that we, as residents, have been given the impression that violent crime is absent or very rare here. We don’t need to know whether the reported rapes occurred on Newton college campuses or on Newton Centre Green, or who was raped or who was accused. But for our own sense of well-being, comfort, and awareness, we should believe that those stats would be reported at least annually, as you have just done. I am glad that the numbers of rapes have fallen and hope you will gather and report those figures each year, along with other measures of anti-social behavior that don’t have to be individually reported to the public, but whose cumulative effect could drastically change the quality of life in Newton.
True statement. Jim has great taste in music too.
The TAB article showed up online today: http://newton.wickedlocal.com/article/20150205/NEWS/150208036 so I just read it (the TAB did not show up at my house this week, breaking a record of 3 weeks of delivery in a row). The article states that the numbers in discussion, 21 rapes in 2013 and 11 in 2014, were “compiled by the Newton Police Department”.
The FBI collects violent crime numbers as well, and the 2013 numbers can be found here. You will find Newton broken out under Boston, and you will see that it gives the number of rapes for Newton in 2013 as 11. The 2014 FBI numbers are not available yet.
Other numbers disagree as well, but not all. The numbers I see common to both sources for 2013:
TAB article: Violent Crime: 81; Rape: 21; Robbery: 18; Aggravated Assault: 42
FBI table: Violent Crime: 74; Rape: 11; Robbery: 18; Aggravated Assault: 45
Only a few other area small cities are broken out in the FBI report. Newton fares better than Cambridge, Waltham; worse than Framingham.
Why do the numbers for Newton differ in the TAB article and the FBI report? The FBI says their numbers are “voluntarily submitted by law enforcement agencies.” Perhaps Newton revised their numbers after they reported them to the FBI.
Gail posted numbers from Brookline, with links back to the Brookline PD. On the Newton PD website, I found links for “Current Police Log” and “Police Log Archive”, but neither link works. Why does Brookline PD post this information but not Newton (perhaps a lack of resources)?
Looking further back, this link has crime stats for Newton from 2000-2012, except for 2002. I compared the rape numbers for 2010-2012 with the FBI site and they match, so I’m assuming this data comes from the FBI. The Newton rape numbers for 2000-2012 (skipping 2002) are: 5, 11, 5, 3, 6, 8, 8, 8, 9, 6, 2, 5.
So, 11 for 2013 (or is it 21?) would appear to match (beat?) the previous 21st century high of 11 in 2001.
Another twist: The FBI data through 2012 is for “forcible rape.” Beginning with 2013, they changed this category to “rape. The new definition, explained here, is basically any penetration without consent, whether forcible or not.
So now we are left with the possibility that the increased number for 2013 (whether that number is 11 or 21) is due at least in part to dropping the “forcible” part of the definition.
Yes, I would be very concerned if there has been an increased incidence in rape in Newton. This is an important issue. But I don’t know what to make of the numbers – can anyone sort this out with the Newton PD?
I think I would be concerned about the amount of rape cases in the City if they were “stranger rape” events. I also believe that if these were the types of rape that were occurring, the Police Department would have been very up front and would be warning the community. So I have to assume that the rapes we are reading about now are “acquaintance rape”cases. A rise in these numbers is a concern but I don’t think it’s cause for alarm for the general public.
@TheWholeTruth: Let’s tell the Whole Truth! I would argue that rape by any other name is not a rose. Would the Police choose not to report domestic violence because it is not a threat to anyone but a spouse (or seniors or children) in a particular residence and therefore assume no obligation to warn the community?
Violent crime is VIOLENT crime and as a society we have a right and an obligation to know what is happening in our near world. Only then do we ever have a chance to fix it.
@Sallee – I agree completely that rape is rape. Domestic violence crimes, however, are no longer public record, per new legislation passed over the summer.
If the number of rapes is Newton is significantly higher in Newton than in surrounding communities — which appears to be the case — then we have a problem, no matter whether it’s happening on college campuses, inside houses or elsewhere. It might not affect the safety of each of us individually, but it means there is a problem in our community.
@Gail. I agree that crime comparisons with nearby communities could indicate possible problems in ours (or theirs). I am surprised, however, that domestic abuse AGGREGATE figures would not be part of the public record. I am not saying that individuals should be identified…just that we would, as a society, be better able to teach against personal violence if it were documented in the public record. Do you or anyone else on V14 know/understand the logic of the new legislation of silence?
I agree with TWT. There are many categories of “rape”. Some people, especially women, like to lump them all together to enhance the feeling of victimization and resultant sympathy. The one most feared would be a violent attack by a stranger or someone she knows but has no assumed relationship with. On the other extreme, I think that if a man living with his wife forces her to have sex after she says she’s not in the mood, that is also classified as rape. In between, if a college girl brings a guy up to her dorm room, gets naked, and at some point decides she doesn’t really want sex and, in the heat of the moment, he insists and forces her, that is rape. We really need to know what we are talking about rather than just lump it all into a basket called “rape” and wave this statistic. I’m not justifying any of them, but they all mean something different in terms of risk to a woman, and in terms of the type of man who would commit it. I’d like to see statistics broken down.
Barry,
I’m not sure how one breaks down statistics (other than stranger vs. acquaintance rape) without determining that the word “NO” has more than one meaning.
Wow, are you for real?
Michael,
Yes.
Are you?
Gail,
“I’m not sure how one breaks down statistics (other than stranger vs. acquaintance rape) without determining that the word “NO” has more than one meaning.”
The word “no” has one meaning. The circumstances define the nature of the offense. So, for example, let’s say someone grabs you on the street, pulls you into and alley and rapes you. You’d agree that the legal system should punish that pretty severely. But, back to the case of the husband, assuming he didn’t commit another crime in the process, like beating you up, should that act of sex with his wife while they are both in bed at night be punishable as severely under the law, i.e., categorized exactly the same?
Barry,
Yes.
This would have made for quite a stimulating debate in the 1950s.
Yes, Michael, and, unfortunately, the 21st century is filled with so many stupid ideas, and knee-jerk unthinking lefties, that it’s impossible to even have a stimulating debate with any subtleties or nuances, beyond simple slogans. Usually, such people simply shout down anyone who doesn’t agree with their distorted ideas. That’s how Obama, the worst president in the history of the US, got elected (“change”). There was a time, believe it or not, when people actually weighed the pros and cons of important issues and could see gray areas. Hard to imagine today, isn’t it?
@Barry. You talk about “Knee-jerk, unthinking Liberals” while bemoaning the current political dialogue of simple slogans and name calling. An old saying-“If you have one finger pointed at someone else, there are three pointed right back at you. A week or so back, I was driving in the Worcester area and turned on a local right wing shock jock for 10 minutes or so. I have never heard any liberal or progressive talk show on radio or television employ the constant venom and vitriol this guy used in the brief time I could tolerate listening to him. Some of the liberals do go over the top every one and a while, but this was constant. And the sad part is they have a lot of otherwise good people sopping it up and spouting it back. Barry. Do you remember the furor on the right over the so called “mosque that the “Islamists” were planning to build right at Ground Zero in Manhattan. Turns out it wasn’t a mosque and it wasn’t anywhere near Ground Zero, but every rightie I know who listens to Fox News or Right Wing Talk Radio became enraged and stayed angry until they were thrown the next piece of red meat about Obama’s Kenyan birth, secret Moslem beliefs, etc. And, oh, yes, he does hate America and all things American. No, I don’t see that constant filth on our side of the ledger and I use the term constant with emphasis. NPR, BBC, France 24 and Al Jazeera aren’t slanted at all that way, and MSNBC is all over the place with views and emphasis.
BOB,
I don’t think you quite got what I was saying and maybe I didn’t say it well. I actually meant that the simplistic notions of political issues exist on both sides of the debate, and you pointed out some good ones on the “right” side.
This was a debate about rape. Michael didn’t like that I said that upping the statistics on rape fed into a victimhood mentality. But, today, we hear a simple statisic and from that assume a host of conclusions, so it’s helpful to distort them to make a point that is not proven by them.
So, not being clear about rape statistics simplifies things to the point where women can prove they are victims and demand some kind of action because of it. My guess is that many, if not most, involve people who know each other. You can remember when a boy couldn’t get past the lobby of a girls’ dormitory in a college. Today they share bathrooms in coed dorms. That’s a recipe for trouble.
Gail wants to lump all “rapes” together and claims that if a man gets frisky and imposes himself on the woman he married, shares a home and kids with, and sees his future with, it is no different than a violent attack by a stranger on the street, and I guess she’d be happy to send her husband to jail if he were to dare do that to her. I don’t agree. But that’s the simplistic approach. “No means no”, rape is rape. Period.
And the “lefties” I meant are like the people on these blogs who were so proud of marching with the reverend because of Ferguson. Simple slogans. “Black life matters”. “Hands up….don’t shoot.” No discussion of the issues, of the events, of the type of person Michael Brown was. Nationwide, jump on the slogans, debase all police, and march. Or generate hatred for the so-called “1%” who are to blame for everyone’s troubles. This is to me a very frightening thing. People give little thought and can be swayed to mass action, often destructive, too easily. By the way, you actually rarely see that on the so-called right, though simplistic thinking does abound.
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