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Contributed commentary by Judge Warren T. Edwards on the decrease in crime rates over the past six years.
Since the election of Judge Warren T. Edwards to the Common Pleas Court bench, Marion has experienced a significant decrease in crime rates over the past six years.
According to the police department’s annual report, various criminal activities have seen a steep decline since Edwards took office.
Statistics reveal a notable drop in aggravated burglaries and burglaries, which decreased by 80% from 2015 to 2021, plummeting from 464 cases to 93 cases.
Breaking and entering cases also saw a reduction of 85%, from 325 incidents in 2015 to 50 in 2021.
Theft decreased by 49%, with reported cases going down from 957 to 486 during the same period.
Assault cases have decreased significantly, with the number dropping from 255 in 2015 to 126 in 2021.
Cases of aggravated assault and felonious assault also declined from 46 to 27 during Edwards’ tenure.
The Marion Police Department recently announced that crime rates in the city have continued to decline in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. Data released by the M.P.D. indicates a promising outlook, with zero murders or manslaughters reported in the first six months of 2024. Additionally, there have been 10 fewer cases of aggravated assault/felonious assault, 20 fewer assaults, and 71 fewer acts of domestic violence compared to the same period in 2023.
The number of overdoses has also decreased, with six weeks in 2024 passing without a single overdose, fatal or non-fatal.