Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman has a few issues with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s latest crime stats.
And the KBI report doesn’t list drug crimes, an area where Goodman’s office is extremely busy.
Lyon County had 262 drug-related criminal cases last year and is closing in on 150 cases this year. Goodman says Lyon County’s drug case numbers often track close to Riley County’s, even though Lyon County’s population is roughly half Riley County’s.
KBI stats have Emporia with 847 violent and property crimes total last year, a rate of 25.3 offenses per 1,000 people — and down from the roughly 31 crimes per 1,000 residents at the state level. The violent crime number, 61, which translates to less than 2 offenses per 1,000, below the 4 per 1,000 statewide. To a degree, though, Goodman says the violent crime stats are skewed.
For property crimes, the Lyon County rate is 23.5 crimes per 1,000, under the 27.5 per 1,000 at the state level.
Statewide, violent crimes are up, with 176 murders in 2017 compared to 148 in 2016. Rapes were up from 1,125 in 2016 to 1,213 last year, and robberies and assaults or batteries were also up. Property crimes had mixed results, with burglaries down, thefts — including motor vehicle thefts — trending up and arsons almost flat.
Related: KBI 2017 crime report
