Criminal Elements

Crime is news no matter what town you live in and no matter how high or low the crime rate there is.

 

But a rash of violent crimes in 2014 had the people of Pottstown (and our newsroom) asking if it was getting worse.

 

The simple answer, according to Pottstown crime statistics, is that crime in 2014 was actually lower than the 10-year average in most categories.

 

But of course, simple answers are just that, and can be misleading.

 

Crime is about more than just numbers and convictions. It is about fear, recriminations, quality of life and the perception of a community and that community's involvement and dedication to solutions.

 

In our "Criminal Elements" project, we decided to approach this complex issue by asking three basic questions that everyone from long-time residents to prospective investors ask on a regular basis -- "Is crime making Pottstown more dangerous?"; "Is Pottstown less safe than other towns?" and "What is being done to make Pottstown more safe?" 

 

The answers we found are shared on this site in story form; with charts; and with links to data that informed our answers.

 

We've made that data available to you as well.

 

Our data tab allows you to dive into FBI crime statistics sorted by a wide variety of factors, such as type of crime, community demographics, location, state or municipality.

 

You will also find links to the year-end crime report produced by the Pottstown Police Department for borough council which, among other things, breaks down crime by wards.

 

In Our "Recommended Reading" tab, you will find more FBI data links, links to The Mercury's crime blog as well as previous reporting about individual crimes in Pottstown.

 

And finally, we want to hear your stories; the ones we haven't reported.

 

The simple truth is we don't get them all.

 

And all too often, Mercury reports on crime tell the stories of the criminals and the court case, but not as often enough as we might like, do they tell the stories of the victims, or the witnesses, or the residents affected by those crimes.

 

By clicking on the "Your Stories" link, you can tell us about your experience, good and bad, either with a crime, the criminal justice system, the police or a good or bad neighbor. 

 

To do so, you have to follow the instructions to sign-up, but signing up does not require providing any personal information, other than an e-mail account. After you do, you can share your stories on Facebook and other social media sites if you wish to.

 

For now, we are not requiring our approval for the comments to be posted, so we ask that you keep posts and comments genuine and respectful of others.

 

We hope our readers find this site useful in understanding the elements which comprise crime in our community, and use it as a way to take that community back.

-- Evan Brandt