Crime stats show increase in New Ulm

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Crime in New Ulm last year jumped by 25 percent over 1999, fueled by a 30.4 percent increase in lesser offenses. Major offenses were up just over 9 percent.

New Ulm Police Department's clearing-by-arrest rate for major offenses rose from 27 percent in 1999 to 31 percent, but with lesser offenses, it dipped 10 points to 56 percent.

Traffic accidents increased in 2000 at an overall rate of 11 percent. Injury accidents were up 18 percent and property damage accidents rose 9.6 percent.

As indicated in NUPD's 2000 annual report which was submitted to the City Council Tuesday, the total number of lesser offenses in 2000 rose to 1,232 cases, compared with 945 in 1999. Major offenses, ranging from homicides to arson, were up 9.2 percent at a total of 321.

A bright spot was the number of juveniles arrested dipped to 132, compared with 144 who were arrested in 1999.

"I attribute that decline to the work of our officers who have become active within the community," Police Chief Howard Zins said. "Our officers really have made an effort to have more contact with juveniles and more involvement with youth."

While the department's clearing-by-arrest rate for major offenses increased by 4 percentage points, it was still well below the rate for lesser offenses.

"Part of that difference is that the major cases require a great deal more investigative time, evidence required is much more, and defendants are much less likely to plead guilty," Zins said.

"Also, the plea bargaining that goes on in some of these cases also is a factor. Plea bargaining is not a friend of law enforcement."

While the department solved the year's only rape case and obtained an arrest in 12 of the 13 aggravated assaults, it fell well below 50 percent in burglaries, theft, and auto theft. It went one-for-two in the year's arson cases. There were no homicides or armed robberies.

With lesser offenses, NUPD's clearing rate on the 99 driving under the influence violations was 100 percent, as well as for the 17 narcotics cases; 98 percent on liquor law violations; 94 percent on other assault cases; 91 percent on other traffic offenses; 84 percent on "domestics" and sex offenses, and 80 percent on weapons violations. But poorer results on harder-to-prove vandalism, fraud and forgery cases dragged the rate down.

While there were no fatal accidents, the city experienced 78 accidents involving injury and 355 involving property damage. According to department statistics, the least safe time to be driving in New Ulm is at 3-4 p.m. on a Friday.

While crime and traffic accidents rose, the number of arrest citations issued dropped 32.3 percent from 1999. NUPD issued 749 citations, compared with 1,106 in 1999, despite a 2-percent increase in squad mileage totaling 194,003 miles in 2000. However, the department reported a 56-percent increase, from 180 in 1999 to 281, in the number of warnings and repair tags issued.

In officer-assists categories, escorts increased 62.6 percent, riders were up 29 percent and animal complaints increased by six for a 1 percent increase. Funerals dropped 23 percent, open doors were down 13 percent and fires dropped 6.5 percent.

Zins said the reduction in citations issued reflects a shortage of officers and an ever-increasing amount of paperwork required in issuing citations.

"When I became a police officer 36 years ago, I had 16 street officers and a lot less paperwork," Zins explained. "Today, I have 16 street officers plus a part-time officer, and I would say that the paperwork required has increased by 10 times."

He cites the work required now with every DUI that's issued. "An officer used to have only a one-sheet form, front and back, to fill out. Now, they literally have a packet of forms to fill out, plus the video taping and the required court appearance. We have computers to do it on, but it's something they can't do in the squads. They have to come into the office to do it."

The street officers also are more involved in community service and work with various boards, Zins said. All of which takes time away from the issuance of citations.

While it appears he is a half officer ahead of where the department was in 1965, technically he has fallen behind. The 16th full-time officer's position, now held by Jay Backer, is mostly funded by a $75,000 federal COPS grant. The grant funds the position for a three-year period.

"At that time, the position will end, putting us back to 15 street officers and a part-time officer," Zins explained. Zins said Backer will remain as a full-time officer through attrition.

While New Ulm appears to have not grown much in the past 40 years, the '60s were a decade of significant growth for the city. While the 1960 census set the city population at 11,114, the 1970 census pegged it at 13,051, representing 17.4 percent growth during the decade. The city's growth exceeded the state average for that census by nearly 6 percentage points.

Zins remembers the city still being around 11,000 when he took office so most of that growth may have occurred after 1965. Whenever it started, the city -- now at 13,594 population -- has grown over 22 percent since the 1960 census.

Even though the department has gone to 10-hour shifts to provide better coverage during peak times, "we aren't like other departments that can plan ahead to spread their work load out better. We don't enjoy that luxury. We can't tell people that we'll be out next Tuesday at 11 a.m. We have to respond whenever it is required.

"One person calling in sick causes a shortage in a shift and results in a lot of jockeying around to cover," Zins said.

While the department has a budget for overtime, Zins said that using overtime to cover is not the answer either.

"Being a police officer is a high-stress job," he noted, "you've got to remain sharp, calm and courteous no matter how you feel so we've got to get our officers time off."

Zins pointed to the episode this past weekend when the department was searching for Felipe Mendoza.

"We had to use everyone we had, whether they were off-duty or not," Zins said. "That took a lot out of everybody, and you've got to give them time to recycle."

However, Zins has elected not to bring these problems to the council because "where would we get the money?"