Ending violent crime must be higher priority

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Ending violent crime must be higher priority

• Detroit News Editorial
• January 5, 2005

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Violent crime

• Violent crime spiked in the first six months of
  2005 in Detroit and some other Michigan cities,
  but short-term fluctuations may be an unfair
  barometer of a city's crime climate. Longer term,
  during the last 15 years, Detroit has made
  significant progress in cutting its violent crime
  rate and murder rate.
• But compared with other cities, Detroit violence
  and murder rates remain unacceptably high. In
  2005, Detroit's 374 homicides amounted to more
  than 40 murders for every 100,000 residents.
  Baltimore had a similar murder rate, and New
  Orleans in the last few years has outpaced
  Detroit.
• But most larger cities had significantly lower
  murder rates last year. New York had about 7
  murders for every 100,000 residents Los Angeles
  had about 13, and Chicago had 15.

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Economic Impacts of Crime

• Costs (What Society gives up!)
• Destruction of Human Life
• For example 375 deaths x earnings of 25,000 per
  person (probably conservative) lead to losses of
  9.375 Million per year EVERY YEAR
• Destruction of Property

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Economic Impacts of Crime

• Transfers
• Stolen property goes from one person to another.
  Its not strictly a cost, but
• Locks, burglar alarms, Dobermans ARE a cost.
• Business that might come here may go somewhere
  else.
• Property values may go down here up elsewhere.

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Simple Analysis
Values here
Values there

• If land here becomes unattractive, due to crime,
  demand ? here ? there!

D
S
D
S
D1
D1
V/acre

• It may be a transfer, but its definitely a cost
  to those who live in high crime areas!

Land here
Land there
Difference Is related to Impact of crime