Crime Clock

Last Friday we had a speaker come from the Centers for Victims of Violence and Crime.  Much of her talk was about what her organization was about and the services that they offer for residents of Allegheny County.  One of the more remarkable things that was shared with us was a crime clock which gave us an estimate of crimes committed on a yearly basis around the country.  Here are some of the more staggering statistics:

• Homicide: One person is murdered every 31 minutes
• Rape:  One person is raped every 2.7 minutes
• Assault:  One person is assaulted every 7.2 seconds
• Theft:  One home is victimized by theft every 2.3 seconds
• Burglary:  One home is burglarized every 9.1 seconds
• Domestic Violence:  One woman is victimized by an intimate partner every 1.3 minutes.  One man is victimized every 6.7 minutes
• Child Abuse and Neglect:  One child is reported abused or neglected every 35 seconds
• Drunk Driving:  One person is killed in an alcohol related traffic crash every 29 minutes
• Elderly Abuse:  One elderly person is victimized every 2.7 minutes
• Hate Crime:  One hate crime is reported tot he police every 73 minutes

While these numbers cannot be directly related to those found in Pittsburgh, they happen at nearly the same proportion.  Keeping these numbers in mind, it makes sense that the Cycle of Crime runs ramped in some of the poorer communities here.