Byline: By Ryan Konig, The Arizona Republic
Richard Fox of central Phoenix learned years ago that the fastest way to get people out of
their living rooms and into a Block Watch meeting is to show them a list of crimes that
have happened within a block of their homes.
But getting that information, for Fox and other Block Watch leaders, often meant taking time off from work to research crime statistics. Now, it's as easy as opening the Community section of The Arizona Republic.
Beginning today, a list of serious crimes reported to Phoenix police will appear Wednesdays in the Community sections that cover Phoenix. The lists will show the time, date, location and type of crime.
Exact addresses will not be published. Instead, the locations will be listed as block numbers, which are rounded down to the lowest number. Any crime taking place from 200 to 299 E. Van Buren St., for example, will be listed as having happened in the 200 block of East Van Buren.
The list will include the eight types of crime commonly referred to as serious crimes. They are homicide, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and drug crimes.
Each week, about 1,700 serious crimes are reported to Phoenix police. Most - about 80 percent - are non-violent, including burglary and other theft-related crimes. The information is provided by the Phoenix Police Department.
''Perhaps more than anything, people are interested in knowing what crimes are happening in their community,'' said Sgt. Mike Torres, a police spokesman.
''By providing this information to them as a service from the Phoenix Police Department, people will have a chance to see exactly what is happening in their immediate community so that they can take precautions or provide information to help us serve them.''
Police officers and community leaders say crime statistics can be misleading if not viewed carefully. A neighborhood with a shopping center that reports dozens of theft crimes or a Block Watch that vigorously reports all suspicious activity could have a high number of reported crimes even though it is a safe place.
And, even in hardest-hit neighborhoods, there are blocks and pockets where neighbors feel safe and have never been victimized by crime.
That was one of the conclusions reached by an Arizona Republic study published in October 1995. The study included an analysis of residential burglaries reported in 1994 throughout the Valley. Reporters found and interviewed dozens of people in the highest crime areas who had never been burglarized or had any reason to fear for their safety.
Lora Lee Nye, president of the Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board, believes the Community sections' crime lists will motivate people to take part in making their neighborhoods safer, even in areas where there is very little crime.
''We have got a lot of newer neighborhoods that have not yet experienced the crime levels that other areas have,'' she said. ''These lists will be a wake-up call for them because even the safest neighborhoods have crime.
''Don't wait for the criminal element to find you. There are ways to keep crime out of your community, by installing Block Watch signs, organizing neighborhood meetings and maintaining a visible presence through your Block Watch.''
Fox, who is past president of the advisory board, hopes the crime lists will reinvigorate residents who have stopped attending neighborhood meetings because crime has been on the decrease. Serious crime in Phoenix dropped about 6 percent from 1995 to 1996.
''Even though crime has gone down in recent years, it's not time to curl up on your couch and take a nap,'' Fox said. ''You have to stay active to maintain the gains your neighborhood has made.''