musicman Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 With more than 300 homicides since January, Houston is on pace to record nearly 400 slayings for the year - which would be the highest number of killings the city has seen in more than a decade.As of Oct. 16, the city had recorded 316 homicides, up 25 percent from the 252 slayings at this time last year. The Houston Police Department said an uptick in homicides by Hurricane Katrina evacuees has contributed to that increase.Between Sept. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2005, there were 344 homicides in Houston. From Sept. 1, 2005, through Oct. 16, there were a total of 445 slayings, 83 involving Katrina evacuees, an increase of roughly 29 percent.Mayor Bill White repeated his position that all ``able-bodied'' evacuees should be working and that the city would continue to arrest lawbreakers.Police have not kept records of how the estimated 150,000 Katrina evacuees have affected crime rates other than homicide.article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Now, let me ask this question. Are these straight up Murders, i.e. Guns, knives, weapons or do they also throw in Car wrecks in this category? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 21, 2006 Author Share Posted October 21, 2006 Now, let me ask this question. Are these straight up Murders, i.e. Guns, knives, weapons or do they also throw in Car wrecks in this category?With the use of the word homicide, i'd say straight up murders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 With the use of the word homicide, i'd say straight up murders.There are vehiclular homicides though. So, I just wanted a little clarification. Sometimes they will lump in stuff just to pump up the numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Vehicular Homicide usually falls into the catagory of DUI's or street racing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Vehicular Homicide usually falls into the catagory of DUI's or street racing.Agreed, but sometimes accidents happen, and an accidental homicide would probably be put in the category to boost numbers. I would just like to see a breakdown of the numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark F. Barnes Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Vehicular Homicide usually falls into the catagory of DUI's or street racing.Unless it is like the irate wife they caught on video as she was doing doughnuts over her dead husbands carcass. She made at least 10 laps before the witnesses got her to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Unless it is like the irate wife they caught on video as she was doing doughnuts over her dead husbands carcass. She made at least 10 laps before the witnesses got her to stop. Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned......... Dont know about you guys, but after that, it was "be extra nice to wife week in my house" :):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark F. Barnes Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 21, 2006 Author Share Posted October 21, 2006 Agreed, but sometimes accidents happen, and an accidental homicide would probably be put in the category to boost numbers. I would just like to see a breakdown of the numbers.didn't see the word vehicular anywhere in the article. Plus I saw the word slay multiple times. To me that's person to person murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 HPD usually uses the UCR definition of homicide, which is as follows:"Homicide - Murder and non-negligent manslaughter are defined as the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another. (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Definition). Not included in this definition are deaths caused by negligence, suicides, or accidental deaths. Attempts to commit murder are classified as aggravated assaults."DWI related deaths are technically negligent, or involuntary, manslaughter, regardless of the polically motivated description of them as "murder". Therefore, they are not included in the homicide totals, but rather in the traffic fatality counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTrain Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 What about a breakdown of the homicides by city quadrant? (Tho it's obvious SW ends up taking the chunk of the number). I been tryin to figure that out by the question I asked since the HPD website displays figures by individual neighborhoods or precincts, not by SW, Southside, NW, wherever.Either way U put it, its a damn shame to see Houston go thru this setback. I would hate to see the city get snarled at by outsiders like somebody took Gary, IN and Camden, NJ, combined the two, and stuck it deep in Southwest Harris County and North Fort Bend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapillionWyngs Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 What's going to happen when the FEMA money runs out? Guess we all need to duck and cover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTrain Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 ^^^Just jacked this quote from another thread: I was just watching CNN HLN's about this, and Jim Pruitt, who is a talk show host, and a gun store owner, is asking Houstonians to arm themselves against Katrina Evacuees.He is basically saying that once the FEMA money runs out, the crime levels will increase. True statement? Does that answer your questrion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PureAuteur Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I thought the money did run out already. Wasn't Houston already listed back in 2004 as #9 on the Top 10 most dangerous cities (500k+) list? We might move up the list the next time they do one. If we move up past Camden, NJ, I'd say there needs to be some concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I thought the money did run out already.There have been several extensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 From the Chronicle article that's linked in post #1:Per capita crime, defined as the number of crimes per 100,000 residents, has decreased in the city, with the violent crime rate down 3 percent this year.So, that Katrina effect is a positive thing, right?As much as everyone bitches about the NOLA folks, crime is down in Houston. It's only murders that are up...and that's just drug dealers taking each other out.By the way, for those complaining about murder rates going up in Houston, and blaming Katrina evacuees, how do you explain the increase in murder rate in big cities across the country? Is it all due to Katrina? Or is it something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 26, 2006 Author Share Posted October 26, 2006 As much as everyone bitches about the NOLA folks, crime is down in Houston. It's only murders that are up...and that's just drug dealers taking each other out.A good friend of mine from college, engineer for Exxon was murdered. So it's not just drug dealers taking each other out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rps324 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 What's going to happen when the FEMA money runs out? Guess we all need to duck and cover!Feb is supposed to be the last month of the big FEMA free rent program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiDTOWNeR Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 From the Chronicle article that's linked in post #1:Per capita crime, defined as the number of crimes per 100,000 residents, has decreased in the city, with the violent crime rate down 3 percent this year.So, that Katrina effect is a positive thing, right?As much as everyone bitches about the NOLA folks, crime is down in Houston. It's only murders that are up...and that's just drug dealers taking each other out.By the way, for those complaining about murder rates going up in Houston, and blaming Katrina evacuees, how do you explain the increase in murder rate in big cities across the country? Is it all due to Katrina? Or is it something else?Sure. It wasnt just houston that got the new residents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 A good friend of mine from college, engineer for Exxon was murdered. So it's not just drug dealers taking each other out.Is there an increase of murders of professionals/innocent people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Is there an increase of murders of professionals/innocent people?Possibly, but I doubt by very much if viewed in terms of murders per thousand white collar residents. Murders tend not to be random and they tend not to be committed by white collar folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Is there an increase of murders of professionals/innocent people?if the number of murders is increasing, then statistically there will be an increase for each group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 if the number of murders is increasing, then statistically there will be an increase for each group.Not necessairly - There is the possibility of the increase affecting a large amount of certain groups of people - For instance, a lot of the Katrina violence was evacuee on evacuee - Either due to drug wars, or other conflicts. Unrelated murders/murders in separate categories may have actually decreased in the said time period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Not necessairly - There is the possibility of the increase affecting a large amount of certain groups of people - For instance, a lot of the Katrina violence was evacuee on evacuee - Either due to drug wars, or other conflicts. Unrelated murders/murders in separate categories may have actually decreased in the said time period.take a statistics class sometime, i think you'd change your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 take a statistics class sometime, i think you'd change your answer.Actually, he is exactly right. There is nothing in the article or the ensuing posts that suggest that murders of particular subgroups of residents has increased, nor does it suggest that murders in particular areas of town have risen. The only data given is the total number of murders, plus a subset attributed to New Orleans residents. In fact, if the Katrina murders are subtracted out, there has been only an increase of 18 murders over the last year, or 5.2%. Given that the city's population has increased 5%, NOT including Katrina evacuees (10%, if they are included), the argument could be made that there has been no increase in the murder rate among the non-Katrina population at all.The above example can be easily picked apart, due to lack of information. Conversely, there is not enough information to say that murder rates among particular groups has risen. So, VicMan's suggestion could be just as true as your's...or, just as false. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Actually, he is exactly right. There is nothing in the article or the ensuing posts that suggest that murders of particular subgroups of residents has increased, nor does it suggest that murders in particular areas of town have risen. The only data given is the total number of murders, plus a subset attributed to New Orleans residents. In fact, if the Katrina murders are subtracted out, there has been only an increase of 18 murders over the last year, or 5.2%. Given that the city's population has increased 5%, NOT including Katrina evacuees (10%, if they are included), the argument could be made that there has been no increase in the murder rate among the non-Katrina population at all.The above example can be easily picked apart, due to lack of information. Conversely, there is not enough information to say that murder rates among particular groups has risen. So, VicMan's suggestion could be just as true as your's...or, just as false.The lack of information is true but the comment concerning 18 additional murders (not including Katrina related ones) adds more creedence to my comment vs. supporting vic's. I'm not saying overwhelming creedence though. Assuming of course murder is random. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 The lack of information is true but the comment concerning 18 additional murders (not including Katrina related ones) adds more creedence to my comment vs. supporting vic's. I'm not saying overwhelming creedence though. Assuming of course murder is random.Except that most murder is not random at all. Most murders are committed by a family member, or an acquaintance. Generally, less than 25% are committed by strangers. So, using your assumptions, there would be an increase of no more than 4 or 5 random murders, a number that is statistically insignificant, in comparison to 362 or 445 total murders. If one were to read other articles relating to the nationwide increase in murders, a conclusion could be drawn that gang violence accounts for the increase. But, there again, no evidence in the Houston article exists to make that call. So, it remains a guess, at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Except that most murder is not random at all. Most murders are committed by a family member, or an acquaintance. Generally, less than 25% are committed by strangers. So, using your assumptions, there would be an increase of no more than 4 or 5 random murders, a number that is statistically insignificant, in comparison to 362 or 445 total murders. If one were to read other articles relating to the nationwide increase in murders, a conclusion could be drawn that gang violence accounts for the increase. But, there again, no evidence in the Houston article exists to make that call. So, it remains a guess, at best.i'll stop BUT........ LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 i'll stop BUT........ LOL Actually, I have just done a little research and found that I am statistically insignificant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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