Spring Break
Water Street crime numbers down in '08
'Bar Walk' brings community members together
Ryan Dostalek
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: News
Criminal activity within the student neighborhood, between First and Ninth avenues and Lake and Water streets, is down from last year, according to Eau Claire Police Department data.
Friday, Lt. James Southworth of the Eau Claire Police Department shared the data with a handful of community members and UW-Eau Claire officials who turned out to participate in the third annual "Bar Walk," a Bridge Campus Community on Alcohol Issues in Eau Claire sponsored event. The event tours community members and university officials through the Water Street area during late-night hours to allow them a first-hand glimpse at nightlife in Eau Claire.
Before braving the cold, rainy weather, the group met at the Eau Claire city government building, where Southworth presented the attendees with the criminal activity data.
Southworth works the midnight shift as the Central District commander, which encompasses the Water Street area. He showed the group that fewer incidents are being reported for many of the crimes collectively grouped as alcohol disorders, such as batteries, open intoxicants and detoxification cases.
"We've taken a more strict approach to all alcohol disorders. Battery arrests are made and citations are issued," Southworth said, adding the department feels the strict enforcement is what caused the decrease in numbers.
Southworth showed that for the academic year in 2007, there were a total of 30 battery cases in the Water Street area of the Central District, compared to 16 cases so far in the 2008 academic year, which has four weeks left. Also decreasing were the number of fights, from 56 in 2007 to 22 so far in 2008.
One area that showed an increase in incidents was the number of ordinance violations, Southworth said, which increased from 27 violations in 2007 to 58 so far in 2008. Southworth said this increase occurred because of the newly adopted strict enforcement policy, adding that officers catch violators with ordinance violations before they escalate to greater crimes such as battery.
Friday, Lt. James Southworth of the Eau Claire Police Department shared the data with a handful of community members and UW-Eau Claire officials who turned out to participate in the third annual "Bar Walk," a Bridge Campus Community on Alcohol Issues in Eau Claire sponsored event. The event tours community members and university officials through the Water Street area during late-night hours to allow them a first-hand glimpse at nightlife in Eau Claire.
Before braving the cold, rainy weather, the group met at the Eau Claire city government building, where Southworth presented the attendees with the criminal activity data.
Southworth works the midnight shift as the Central District commander, which encompasses the Water Street area. He showed the group that fewer incidents are being reported for many of the crimes collectively grouped as alcohol disorders, such as batteries, open intoxicants and detoxification cases.
"We've taken a more strict approach to all alcohol disorders. Battery arrests are made and citations are issued," Southworth said, adding the department feels the strict enforcement is what caused the decrease in numbers.
Southworth showed that for the academic year in 2007, there were a total of 30 battery cases in the Water Street area of the Central District, compared to 16 cases so far in the 2008 academic year, which has four weeks left. Also decreasing were the number of fights, from 56 in 2007 to 22 so far in 2008.
One area that showed an increase in incidents was the number of ordinance violations, Southworth said, which increased from 27 violations in 2007 to 58 so far in 2008. Southworth said this increase occurred because of the newly adopted strict enforcement policy, adding that officers catch violators with ordinance violations before they escalate to greater crimes such as battery.
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