COUNTY SEES DROP IN CRIME

Moore County's crime rate dropped 11 percent in 2004, something Sheriff
Lane Carter attributes to a direct result of efforts to weaken the illegal
drug trade.

The number of violent crimes dropped from 3,128.5 per 100,000 population to
2,779.4 per 100,000 last year, according to the Index Crime Rate compiled
by the state attorney general's office.

"If it's down and you're keeping it down, it says two things," Carter said.
"It says you've sent people to prison who need to be in prison and you're
controlling the environment in which crime grows."

The most significant decrease was the number of murders. There were eight
murders in 2003. The number dropped to three in 2004.

The last time Moore County had a murder rate this low was in 1999 and 1998,
which were the lowest of the last 10 years.

Robberies, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts also dropped --
though the decrease was not as significant.

The Sheriff's Department is the only law enforcement agency in the county
that allocates officers to investigate drug offenses exclusively.

When Carter took office in 2002, he expanded the Narcotics Unit and
believes its work is directly leading to the decrease in violent and
property crime.

"People don't steal to eat," Carter said. "They steal to buy dope. They
steal to support a habit."

The one area that saw an increase was in aggravated assaults. That number
went from 126 in 2003 to 140 in 2004. Aggravated assaults jumped slightly
in the county -- from 55 to 61 -- and in Aberdeen -- from 13 to 17.

It dropped from 5 to zero in Robbins and Vass. The big increase in
aggravated assaults occurred in Southern Pines where reports of assaults
increased from 41 to 57.

Every municipality showed a drop in crime. Vass had the largest drop in
total crime. The crime index went from 60 to 22 in Vass, a drop of 63 percent.

Another large decrease occurred in Carthage, where crime was down 46
percent, and in Robbins, where crime was down 43 percent.

Though rape was down from 2003 to 2004, the eight reports in 2004 still
made it the second largest annual number in the last five years.

Carter said that the progress in the county was due to efforts to lock up
drug dealers and reorganized manpower that has resulted in increased
patrols and had more deputies working at night.

"Not to toot my own horn, but everything we're doing is making a
difference," Carter said. "High law enforcement presence reduces crime."

The county commissioners have helped by making resources available. The
Sheriff's Department has added a new deputy and a new jailer, according to
Carter.

Keeping the justice system moving also helps, he said, because that means
criminals are being put in prison. The house-arrest program also help keep
the jail population down.

In addition, Carter said he has taken some steps to make the jail less
comfortable. He said he has taken away the inmates' right to smoke
cigarettes and has stopped giving them coffee, something he said saves the
county $7,000 a year.

"We've done some things as far as making the jail not a fun place to be,"
Carter said. "Steps we're taking to make it a jail."

In the future, Carter said the county can continue to move in the right
direction by increasing cooperation between agencies in drug investigations
and by training some local officers to process crime scenes.

Statewide, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced that reported crime fell
by 2.9 percent last year.

Violent and property crime rates both declined, but reports of rape increased.

Cooper said that the drop specifically was thanks to strong law enforcement
and tough sentences.

"Our hard work to keep North Carolina safe is showing progress," Cooper
said. "The numbers show that law enforcement is doing a good job to reduce
crime rates even as our state grows."

The state rate per 100,000 decreased by 2.9 percent compared to 2003, a
slightly greater increase than the 2.4 percent drop the previous year.

The rate of violent crime per 100,000 North Carolinians dropped by 1.7
percent. The state murder rate went unchanged. Robberies fell 5.8 percent,
and aggravated assaults decreased 0.5 percent. However, incidents of rape
increased 7.5 percent.

"There's still work we need to do to make our communities safe, and I am
particularly concerned about the increase the number of reported rapes,"
Cooper said. "We must continue to expand DNA technology and put these
violent criminals behind bars before they repeat their crimes."