It's something people in Fargo didn't want to hear: for the first time in three years, the city has seen an increase in certain criminal activities.
The numbers are unofficial at this point, but when you check 2012 crime statistics, Fargo had more aggravated assaults, gross sexual imposition, and burglaries this year then last, and the area which saw the greatest increase is the same place police have been working hardest to make safer.
At Josef's School of Hair Design, owner Josef Olivieri has seen everything from broken windows in his building and car to dents and slashed tires, and while Olivieri "wouldn't call it serious crimes," he will admit "it's been bad."
Josef's is not the only area business experiencing these kinds of problems, and Lieutenant Joe Vettel of the Fargo Police Department says "the downtown area is unique because of the volume of people."
Property crime has seen one of the greatest increases. One way the Fargo police have been trying to crack down on crime is by the addition of surveillance cameras in the downtown area, which Lt. Vettel says has been a "helpful solution to a very isolated problem."
Looking at the unofficial crime statistics for 2012, Lt. Vettel says that although there was a fourteen percent increase in property crimes and eighteen percent increase in personal crimes, he doesn't find it alarming: "as we move into the new year, [the Fargo police] will look into areas where there are issues."
A Closer Look at the Crime Statistics:
Aggravated assaults are up 11%; in 2011 there were 167, and this year there were 186.
Criminal mischief is up 21%; that's an increase of about 140 cases from 2011 to '12.
And a Couple of Positive Signs:
Drug offenses are down by about 7%
DUIs are down by about 2%
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