Evening star., 1945-12-16

OF the FBI expressed concern that a
postwar crime aoaue ,0as in the max
ing. He told Frank Weller OF AP
NeUsfedtures' Washington staff, that
ldU officers ioould need "the 1ctipe
support OF epery citizen" If the United
States is to escape repetition OF
"the national disgrace" of the post
1918 years. Here is the story OF
crime In the Nation today, as sho,Dn
In an Associated Press surpey.)
NEW YORK-Criminals big and little
are giving police more work generally
around the Nation these days. an Asso-
ciated Press survey shows, with postwar
maladjustments getting the majority
nod of officials as the prime causes Of
resurgent wrong doing.
Crime is weaving no set pattern of
activity, however, for misdemeanors and
felonies vary in type and intensity from
place to place, with car stealing and
thievery the only threads of uniformity.
A few communities report lawbreaking
on the downgrade. The problem of
juvenile delinquency is spottier still
This is the general picture in more
seriously affected areas:
Kansas City is in the midst of one of
the biggest rises in criminal activity,
with "a killings this year through Octo-
ber, for the greatest number since the
war. Mayhem is up sharply and rape
cases are spiraling out Of all proportion
to police records going back to 1927.
81 Per Cent Robbery Increase.
Syracuse, N. Y. had 81 per cent more
robberies in the first 10 months of 1945
than in the equivalent 1914 period
In Detroit rape and robbery went up
20 per cent from 1914.
Knoxville, Tenn, arrests are to 6
times the prewar rate.
Cleveland felonies went up 235 per
cent during the first months of the
year, auto thefts about IS per cent.
Texas State police records show % 80
per cent increase in all types Of crime
for the same period.
Los Angeles and San Francisco each
have had recent Is per cent increase
in robberies.
New York City had SO killings in, n
days ending November 81, and general
rise in most types of crime was indicate.
Some areas report specialized tenden-
cies in increasing crime, such as rural
murders in New Jersey, sex crimes in
North Carolina, kidnapping in the Chat
tanooga, Tenn, section; "nastier type"
murders such as those in which victims
are burned to death, in South Carolina;
confidence games in Denver, forgery
across Idaho, vandalism, rolling" of
servicemen and taxicab robberies in
Louisville. There was an early fall
wave of safe-cracking in Minneapolis.
Some Areas Unconcerned.
Police in some areas see no cause for
alarm, viewing the trend either as part
of periodic cycle or simply proper
tional to population growth. These
include San Francisco, Philadelphia.
Boston, Milwaukee and Jackson, Miss.
Chicago police release without comment
figures showing a rise from 12,215
offenses in eight types of crime during
the 1914 July-O October period, to 1888
during the same period this year.
Cincinnati reports downward trend
in all crime $50 fewer major offenses
through November n, compared with
194D and Salt Lake City police say
most crimes are down. Although felonies
in New York City are increasing now,
they are below the rates of the last
several years.
indianapolis, Chattanooga and Min
neapolis show declines after summer and
autumn flareups. Stealing is the only
crime still rising steadily in Richmond
after fall fiurries of purse -snatching and
rape were spiked.
Crime Drops Here.
No outbreaks Of lawbreaking have
been noted in Washington. D. c.; Port
land. Me-: Connecticut cities, Miami
New Orleans, Atlanta, st. Paul, Men,
phis, st. Louis or Birmingham, Ala.
(The latest figures of the Criminal
Justice Association covering the first
six months of 1945 indicate drop of
Is per cent in crime in Washington over
the same period in the previous year.
A total of 1853 crimes were reported, in
cluding 767 cases of housebreaking, 5l2
of grand larceny and 81 of murder and
manslaughter, of which were traffic
fatalities. Juveniles were involved in