September 24, 2007 --

For an expert opinion on these numbers, feel free to contact Craig Prins, Executive Director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission at 503-378-4858.

Last week I sent you the preliminary stats on Oregon property crime for 2006 for you to ponder in light of Kevin Mannix's new mandatory minimum sentencing ballot measure. The preliminary data showed property crime going down in Oregon's three largest cities. That information is here .

Today, the FBI released the final statewide data for 2006, which indicates a dramatic 16.6% decrease in property crime statewide comparing 2006 to 2005. That decrease builds off a 5.1% decrease statewide when comparing 2005 to 2004.

The new FBI data is here.

The premise of the Mannix measure is that property crime is going up. The fact is that property crime is going down, and as the stats today indicate, it is going down significantly. I believe the tough meth laws the legislature passed in 2005 are having an effect.

As the 2008 election season heats up, I thought you might appreciate having this information.

Chip