VIOLENT CRIME ON RISE

Kitsap Bucks State Numbers

The sheriff blames methamphetamine use for the increase in unincorporated
areas of the county. Violent crime is skyrocketing in unincorporated Kitsap
County despite state and national trends to the contrary.

The latest crime statistics from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and
Police Chiefs confirm what earlier figures foreshadowed: Incidents of
violent crime in Kitsap County rose by more than a third between 1999 and 2000.

The percentage increase is one of the highest in the state, and contrasts
sharply with a statewide increase in violent crime of only one-tenth of 1
percent.

Statewide, overall crime declined two-tenths of 1 percent. In Kitsap, it's
up 9.2 percent overall.

The news comes as no surprise to Sheriff Steve Boyer.

In February, the association released figures comparing the first halves of
both years. They showed a 38 percent increase in violent crime in Kitsap
for the period.

Boyer blames the methamphetamine epidemic for the increase in

violence here.

A powerful stimulant, the drug can cause paranoia and delusions in users.
People who make and trade in the drug often are users themselves.

"Essentially, (the report) reflects my fears after our analysis about two
years ago, that the drugs thing is moving this way, especially the meth,"
he said.

"Meth is the key to violent things," Boyer said.

Boyer said Sunday's shooting death of Steven Ross and wounding of two
others in East Bremerton illustrates the influence of drugs on other crimes.

The suspect told investigators he was under the influence of PCP, a
powerful animal tranquilizer that can cause hallucinations.

Kitsap is ideal for methamphetamine manufacturing and marketing, Boyer said.

"Drug people like to operate secretively and what you have in rural Kitsap
County is anonymity ... and real close proximity to major markets," Boyer said.

Aggravated assault accounts for the largest portion of violent crime
tracked by the association. The frequency of murder is so low that even
small increases can cause deceptively large jumps in percentages.

In Kitsap, for instance, there were three murders in 2000, a 50 percent
increase over 1999, when there were two murders.