Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Crime drops to lowest level in at least 15 years

Harrisburg reported crime rates continued to drop in 2016, bucking a national trend which showed violent crime increasing across the country. Crime dropped in every category last year in Harrisburg except for arson, rape and auto theft. Police and city officials sat down with PennLive Friday to explain the crime statistics. The numbers are "decisive and clear," according to Mayor Eric Papenfuse. "They show short-term and long-term declines. This is not a blip."

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Homicide in Harrisburg

Harrisburg reported 16 homicides last year. One was ruled a justified police shooting. Of 19 killings in 2015, three were considered justified or self-defense. Although homicides and crime statistics have dropped in the city, the homicide rate remains high for the city's population.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Harrisburg 'clears' 11 homicides

Harrisburg police have gained a reputation for solving most of the city's homicides. The city's "clearance rate" last year was lower than usual at 67 percent, but still higher than the national homicide clearance rate. The killing of David Henry, by a gunman who also shot his grandmother in the hand, remains one of five open cases last year. Police say they never stop investigating open homicide cases.

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Robbery in Harrisburg

The number of reported robberies dropped last year to a level that is less than half the number of robberies reported in 2013. Police Chief Thomas Carter said robberies and other crimes declined in part because of increased stability in the city and better collaboration among police, businesses and residents.

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Rape in Harrisburg

Rapes went up in Harrisburg last year, but police attributed it to a different classification system put in place by the FBI. The FBI broadened the classification to include all cases of penetration, which raised the rate, said police Capt. Gabriel Olivera. The other penetration crimes previously were counted as "sex offenses." That category dropped significantly last year, also because of the classification change, Olivera said. When rapes and sex offenses are combined (149,) the figure is lower than 2015's combined total of 166.

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Assault in Harrisburg

Reported assaults continued a steady decline and dropped by more than seven percent last year. But the crime still represents a problem in the city, with an average of three assaults being reported each day.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Burglary in Harrisburg

Burglaries are continuing their slide after a significant reduction in 2014. The reductions in crime are being reported despite the police department having the fewest number of officers in recent years. "I believe the police department is doing much more than ever with fewer officers," said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

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Theft in Harrisburg

Thefts declined by more than four percent last year after a significant dip in 2015. Residents used to report between 1,500 and 1,700 thefts each year in the early 2000s, according to FBI crime reports.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Auto Theft in Harrisburg

Auto theft was one of the few crime categories that saw an increase last year. Police Chief Thomas Carter said most auto thefts stem from crimes of opportunity where drivers leave cars running in cold weather. Auto thefts reported in the morning hours are often attributed to students walking to school who see an opportunity for a free ride, according to police Capt. Gabriel Olivera. He said police often find the stolen cars abandoned near the high school.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Overall serious crimes down last year

The FBI counts the most serious crimes such as murder, rape and robbery as among Part 1 crimes. Harrisburg reported a total of 2,873 Part 1 crimes in 2016, representing the lowest level since at least 2002. When just violent crimes are considered, the city's rate dropped six percent last year compared to a 5.3 percent increase in violent crime nationwide, according to preliminary FBI data from last year.

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Arson in Harrisburg

Arson represented one of the few crime categories in the city with a reported increase. The raw numbers are small, but the percentage hike last year was 38 percent.

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What's behind the arsons?

This photo documents an arson earlier this month where someone set a stairwell on fire in building that housed two apartments. But most arsons last year stemmed from people squatting in vacant buildings and using heat sources that start fires, said Capt. Gabriel Olivera. The increase in opioid abuse is partly to blame for the increase in squatting activity throughout the city, Olivera said.

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Sex Offenses in Harrisburg

Just as rapes went up significantly last year, sex offenses went down for the same reason, police say: the FBI's broadened definition of rape. The new definition now includes all reports of penetration in the rape category, which makes it harder to compare the crime categories of rape and sex offenses to prior years. Last year marked the first full year that Harrisburg police used the new definition.

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Receiving stolen property in Harrisburg

Receiving stolen property is a crime to decrease the demand for stolen goods. The crime category declined by 27 percent last year.

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Criminal mischief

Criminal mischief is defined as intentionally or recklessly destroying, damaging or tampering with someone else's property. The number of times that happened last year declined, according to police reports, by 21 percent.

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Drug arrests

Drug arrests dropped steeply last year, but that's not necessarily an indication that drug crimes dropped. Instead, this category can also reflect the amount of police resources or activity directed at drug crimes.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

What's behind the drop in drug arrests?

An internal investigation into the police department's vice unit last year put a dent in the city's efforts against drug crimes. Police Chief Thomas Carter said he shut down the vice unit's operations after Cpl. Sean Cornick was accused of stealing $1,000 from an evidence locker. The city asked for the FBI's assistance to ensure the rest of the unit had no involvement in any criminal activity, which was confirmed. The unit is now back up and running with a new supervisor.

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Child abuse cases in Harrisburg

Changes in state law in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State has contributed to an increase in reported child abuse cases and crimes against children, police said. The police department has even received reports of alleged neglect due to children having cavities in their teeth, said police Capt. Gabriel Olivera.

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Overall crime down

The number of all Part 1 and Part 2 crimes has declined since at least 2013, including a nearly 18 percent drop last year. Police Chief Thomas Carter said he believes the city's strategy of promoting community policing is "making a major difference." Extra patrols were assigned to a troublesome uptown park last year, for example, after a spate of shootings and the officers continued to saturate the area even after things cooled down to build relationships, said Police Capt. Gabriel Olivera. Police officers also try to attend all community crime or quality of life meetings.

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Milo Hooper, who formerly led the Street Crimes Unit, talked to a driver during a traffic stop in 2014. Hooper has since been promoted to lieutenant.

Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

'More effective policing'

Last year's reduced crime numbers point to a "more effective policing strategy," according to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, "and an increase in quality of life in the city." The reduced crime rate is reflected in "new businesses, more economic development and a increased confidence among the public." New LED streetlights throughout the city could have contributed to the drop in crime as well, city officials said.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Read more coverage of Harrisburg crimes:

Which city reported the most assaults? Thefts? Comparing York, Harrisburg and Lancaster

Amid national debate over policing, PennLive rides with Harrisburg police

Harrisburg police take down one drug dealer, follow another into Swatara Township: PennLive ride along

Accused gunman in Harrisburg homicide played role in fatal police shooting, was on the lam