Worcester and Crime

I just had a look at the Worcester Police Department’s website, and was pleased to find that it had an easy-to-use, clickable map of the city showing crime statistics broken down by neighborhood and types of crimes. Looking at it, I couldn’t help remembering David Rushford’s observation that poor areas of Worcester, while they may look neglected, actually receive a far greater share of city services than well-off neighborhoods. There is a net transfer of wealth from the city’s upper-middle class to its poor because of this, something that the folks at In City Times might gag on, if they actually thought about it, which they probably won’t. It sucks to be poor anywhere, but it sucks less to be poor in Worcester than it would otherwise, chiefly because of the schools and other city services.

It was about five years ago I called asking the WPD if they had any crime statistics, and the officer that answered said no, that they lacked the time to assemble them. So I was pleased by the map, and especially the analysis that came with it, because it indicates that the Worcester police are getting more on the ball all the time. They appear to be doing much more than just responding to crime; the Worcester police are planning how to deal with it most effectively as it changes.

I also took the time to write the WPD an e-mail thanking them for their work, and I recommend you take time to do the same. I think the WPD are the main reason Worcester is so much safer than Springfield and Hartford.

I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses, because when you choose to live in a city, you live with the inevitability of urban crime. But it’s good to know that crime is not being ignored here in Worcester, and that competent people are working hard at dealing with it effectively.