No WhiteWash!

Below is data that was obtained form the website NeighborhoodScout which gives some interesting data concerning the high crime rate in Kingsport, Tennessee.  Kingsport is ranked as having a high crime rank by NeighborhoodScout and states that  Kingsport’s crime rate is higher than the average for the State of Tennessee and  United States.

Are our city officials more concerned about putting in a new swimming pool, expanding the convention center, building more hotels, annexing more property, getting more restaurants, etc. than reducing the high crime rate in Kingsport?

Kingsport, TN Elected Officials – Board of Mayor and Alderman

Mayor Dennis Phillips	Vice Mayor Ben Mallicote	Alderman Larry Munsey	Alderman Jantry Shupe	Alderman C. Ken Marsh, Jr.	Alderman Tom Parham	Alderwoman Valerie Joh

NeighborhoodScout

With a crime rate of 89 per one thousand residents, Kingsport has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One’s chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 11. Within Tennessee, more than 90% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Kingsport.

Separately, it is always interesting and important to compare a city’s crime rate with those of similarly sized communities – a fair comparison as larger cities tend to have more crime. NeighborhoodScout has done just that. With a population of 44,560, Kingsport has a combined rate of violent and property crime that is very high compared to other places of similar population size. Regardless of whether Kingsport does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly. Few other communities of this size have a crime rate as high as Kingsport.

The crime data that NeighborhoodScout used for this analysis are the seven offenses from the uniform crime reports, collected by the FBI from 17,000 local law enforcement agencies, and include both violent and property crimes, combined.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Kingsport does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Kingsport.

For Kingsport, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout’s analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Kingsport is one in 107.

In addition, NeighborhoodScout found that a lot of the crime that takes place in Kingsport is property crime. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In Kingsport, your chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 13, which is a rate of 80 per one thousand population.

Click here to see the data below as well as a map showing where the safest places are in Kingsport.  At the top of the page you can get data for a different city.

Something does not seem to be right with the Tennessee Legislators for considering a law that requires a fingerprint for traffic tickets.  HB 2220 has passed in the Tennessee House and is to be voted on (SENATE BILL 2153) by the Tennessee Senate on June 8, 2009.

The new law, if passed today by the senate, would require a fingerprint even before you have your day in court.  It appears that there is a double standard being applied since the Tennessee Legislators voted to delete the requirement that the purchaser of a firearm give a thumbprint as part of background check process.  But, if I wanted to apply for certain jobs, cash a check, etc, then a fingerprint is needed.

It appears that the gun lobby has been successful with the legislators.  Perhaps one should look at the money given to the legislators by the gun lobbyists.

If I run a red light where there is a red-light camera, then I would not be fingerprinted, but if I got the ticket from the police, then I would have to give a fingerprint.

For the hand gun purchasers out there that don’t have to give a fingerprint, you better hope that you don’t get a traffic ticket and have to give a fingerprint.

This will be voted on 06/08/2009.

Please call you senator today and tell them NO!

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/

HB2220 by Stewart – FLOOR VOTE: PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 5/7/2009
Passed
Ayes………………………………………..72
Noes………………………………………..17
Present and not voting…………………..1
Representatives voting aye were: Armstrong, Barker, Bass, Bell, Bone, Borchert, Brooks H, Brooks K, Brown, Cobb C, Cobb J, Cobb T, Coley, Curtiss, Dean, DeBerry J, DeBerry L, Dunn, Eldridge, Evans, Faulkner, Favors, Fincher, Fitzhugh, Ford, Fraley, Hackworth, Harmon, Harrison, Harwell, Hawk, Haynes, Johnson C, Johnson P, Jones S, Jones U, Kelsey, Litz, Lollar, Lundberg, Lynn, Maddox, McDaniel, McDonald, McManus, Montgomery, Moore, Mumpower, Naifeh, Niceley, Odom, Pitts, Pruitt, Ramsey, Rich, Richardson, Roach, Rowland, Shaw, Shepard, Shipley, Sontany, Stewart, Swafford, Tidwell, Todd, Turner M, Watson, Weaver, Winningham, Yokley, Mr. Speaker Williams — 72.
Representatives voting no were: Campfield, Carr, Casada, Dennis, Floyd, Hardaway, Hensley, Hill, Kernell, Matheny, Matlock, McCord, McCormick, Sargent, Towns, Turner L, Windle — 17.
Representatives present and not voting were: Camper — 1.

The Tennessee Senate scheduled to vote on SB 2153 below on June 8, 2009

SENATE BILL 2153.
By Haynes

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7,
Chapter 63; Title 16, Chapter 1; Title 40, Chapter
7 and Title 55, Chapter 50, relative to methods of
acknowledgment.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 7-63-102, is amended by deleting the section in its entirety and by substituting instead the following:
§ 7-63-102
In order to prevent the offender’s arrest and the issuance of the warrant against the offender, the offender must sign or affix a fingerprint to, or sign and affix a fingerprint to, an agreement to appear at the time and place indicated, and to waive the issuance and service of a warrant upon the offender.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 7-63-104, is amended by deleting the first sentence in the section and substituting instead the following:
In the event the offender refuses to sign or properly affix the offender’s fingerprint to, or sign and properly affix the offender’s fingerprint to, the agreement to appear in court and to waive the issuance and service upon the offender of a warrant, then it shall be the duty of the officer, in whose presence the offense is committed, forthwith to place the offender under arrest and take the offender before the proper authority, procure a warrant, serve the warrant upon the offender and book the offender as in other cases of violations.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 7-63-105, is amended by deleting the first sentence in the section and substituting instead the following:
In the event that the offender signs or properly affixes a fingerprint to, or signs and properly affixes a fingerprint to, the agreement and waiver as provided in § 7-63-102, and then fails to appear for trial at the time and place designated, then the court having jurisdiction of the case shall immediately issue a warrant against the offender for the offense, and an additional warrant for the offense of violating the agreement to appear; provided, that the municipal, metropolitan or city government has made the failure so to appear an offense, or has adopted the state law creating such offense.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 7-63-203, is amended by deleting the section in its entirety and substituting instead the following: Read more…

Guns In America

State-by-state gun laws and death rates, maps of recent school and workplace shootings and facts on who’s at risk.

The Tennessee House of Representatives voted on HB 0962 which will allow a person with a handgun carry permit to take their gun to restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages.

Below are the representatives who voted for and against this bill.

In the future, I think I may avoid eating out and instead stay at home to eat. See Many Recent Shooters Had Legal Gun Permits

HB0962 by Todd – FLOOR VOTE: AS AMENDED PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/6/2009
Passed
          Ayes………………………………………..70
          Noes………………………………………..26
          Representatives voting aye were: Barker, Bass, Bell, Borchert, Brooks H, Brooks K, Campfield, Carr, Casada, Cobb C, Cobb T, Coleman, Coley, Curtiss, Dean, Dennis, Dunn, Eldridge, Evans, Faulkner, Ferguson, Fincher, Floyd, Ford, Fraley, Hackworth, Halford, Harrison, Hawk, Haynes, Hensley, Hill, Johnson C, Johnson P, Kelsey, Litz, Lollar, Lundberg, Lynn, Maddox, Maggart, Matheny, Matlock, McCord, McCormick, McDaniel, McDonald, McManus, Montgomery, Moore, Mumpower, Niceley, Odom, Ramsey, Rich, Roach, Rowland, Sargent, Shepard, Shipley, Swafford, Tidwell, Tindell, Todd, Watson, Weaver, Windle, Winningham, Yokley, Mr. Speaker Williams — 70.
          Representatives voting no were: Armstrong, Bone, Brown, Camper, Cobb J, Cooper, DeBerry J, DeBerry L, Favors, Gilmore, Hardaway, Harmon, Harwell, Jones S, Jones U, Kernell, Miller, Naifeh, Pitts, Richardson, Shaw, Sontany, Stewart, Towns, Turner L, Turner M — 26.

The Congressional Quarterly Press has released it’s most dangerous city list for 2008 and New Orleans has taken the lead. Last year Detroit was the leader of the pack, but now New Orleans is the most dangerous city.

Camden, New Jersey is second followed by Detroit, St. Louis, and Oakland. Camden had the lead in 2006 so they are climbing the charts again.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America 2008

1. New Orleans
2. Camden, NJ
3. Detroit
4. St. Louis
5. Oakland
6. Flint, Mich.
7. Gary, Ind.
8. Birmingham, Ala.
9. Richmond, Calif.
10. North Charleston, SC

via The Real Estate Bloggers

In Session blog has the scoop on gun permits held by Tennessee lawmakers.

See also East TN Handgun Carry Permits

Per the Handgun Carry Permits database are the number of permits for the selected cities below.  Knoxville had 11,244 permits

Search public records for recipients of Tennessee handgun carry permits.

University of Arizona economist Price Fishback has studied urban crime rates during the Great Depression and said there was a correlation between getting people back to work and decreasing crime.

"If you are worried about crime, training programs and things that take people’s time up help to reduce crime rates during a period when things are getting worse," he said. "For a 1 percent increase in employment, you found about a 1 percent reduction in the crime rate."   Read more Crime Increase

In a comprehensive survey of possible links between crime and the economy, the Police Executive Research Forum found that 44% of agencies reported spikes in crime linked to the economy. Of those, 39% reported increases in robberies, 32% in burglaries and 40% in thefts. The report also found that 63% of the 233 agencies were bracing for funding cuts during the upcoming year.  Read more on crime