YOUTH DRUG DATA RAISE FLAGS

Lincoln - The 1999 crime statistics are out, and overall crime in
Nebraska dropped 6 percent.

However, drug-related arrests for youths rose by 12 percent. That
didn't surprise one youth counselor.

Therapist Bill Nelson, who has four years of counseling experience in
Omaha, blamed the increase on an old culprit - marijuana.

It's bigger than ever, he said.

"It's probably bigger than the '60s. It's back and everybody is using
it and it's 'OK,'" Nelson said Wednesday, the day the annual crime
report was released by the Nebraska Crime Commission.

The increase in drug-related arrests was of special concern for Gov.
Mike Johanns.

He said if left unchecked, that trend could lead to larger problems in
the future, noting that people who are forced to feed drug habits
often turn to a life of crime.

"We have to do a better job in that arena," he said.

Nelson said one of the biggest problems with marijuana is that it
leads to more drug use.

"It's a gateway drug. That makes it a big deal," he
said.

"You usually don't start out taking methamphetamine, acid or cocaine.
You start out with marijuana and go on to the hard-core drugs."

The overall drop in crime in Nebraska mirrors a national trend in
which the crime rate was expected to drop by 7 percent, as it did in
1998.

"Clearly, this is good news for our communities, big and small, as
well as for law enforcement and criminal justice personnel," said
Allen Curtis, executive director of the Crime Commission.

"It appears the country and, hopefully Nebraska, is in the process of
reversing upward trends."

The City of Omaha reported a 1 percent drop in crime, while Lincoln
recorded a 6 percent drop. The decline in small towns - those of 5,000
population or less - averaged 12 percent.

A spokesman for the Omaha Police Department said it is not fair to
compare a large, growing metropolitan area with the state's more rural
areas.

"Omaha is a growing city, and we think a 1 percent decrease for a
growing metropolitan area is significant," said Sgt. Dan Cisar, a
police spokesman.

Cisar noted that Omaha, as did the state, reported a 5 percent drop in
violent crime. He said that statistic was as important as the overall
numbers.

"We think a 5 percent decrease in violent crime is very significant,
and we're happy with that," Cisar said.

Johanns said crime statistics should be viewed cautiously and over a
period of time. He said this was not the time to declare victory in
the war on crime.

"Today's numbers lead me to be optimistic that the good life is still
a part of Nebraska," he said.

"(But) this is no victory whatsoever, and I need to emphasize that.
What we need to look at is a trend over time," saying statistics can
fluctuate greatly from year to year.

For example, 1998 crime statistics recorded a 2 percent increase in
overall crime.

Of the eight crimes included in the annual report, only two showed an
increase for 1999: murder-manslaughter (11 percent) and arson (8 percent).

The rise in the homicide rate was nothing to be particularly alarmed
about, Curtis said, because it is traditionally a small number in
Nebraska and fluctuates greatly year to year.

Actual homicides increased from 53 in 1998 to 59 in
1999.

Curtis also predicted that despite several high-profile murders this
year in rural towns, the homicide rate will remain about the same next
year.

"My guess is our homicide rate is going to be about 50," he
said.

As for the increase in arson, Curtis said that also mirrored a
national trend. The number of arsons reported in Nebraska increased
from 459 in 1998 to 498 last year.

"That's been going up every year," he said.

Curtis said he has not determined why there was an increase in
arson.

The number of hate crimes reported in Nebraska decreased by 45
percent, from 51 in 1998 to 28 in 1999.

It was only the second year hate crimes have been reported.

"There is simply no place in our state for the intolerance
demonstrated by hate crimes," Johanns said.

"This is the second year of voluntary reporting of this type of crime
in Nebraska. We are pleased the number of law enforcement agencies
participating rose from 65 percent to 85 percent, while the number of
hate crimes decreased by 45 percent."