STATE CRIME FALLS, BUT NOT IN CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG

N.C. Attorney General Particularly Concerned By Methamphetamine

Reports of crimes in North Carolina fell again last year, but Attorney
General Roy Cooper remains concerned about child predators and drug
labs.

State law enforcement agencies need more resources to keep up with
pedophiles using the Internet and methamphetamine makers, Cooper said
Thursday during a news conference in Charlotte.

State Bureau of Investigation agents have shut down 217 meth labs so
far this year. In 2003, they busted 177 labs.

Still, the state is doing better overall, Cooper said. The rate of
crimes per 100,000 residents fell 2.4 percent from 2002 to 2003.

That's nearly half the 4.7 percent decline recorded last year, but
still better than 2000-01 when the crime rate increased slightly.

Statewide the violent crime rate dropped 5.3 percent -- with murders
down 10.3 percent and rapes down 6 percent. Property crimes fell 2.1
percent.

The one statistic that grew statewide was motor vehicle thefts, which
were up 4.8 percent. The number of juveniles arrested for vehicle
thefts rose 33 percent.

Cooper attributed the rise to various factors, including higher
gasoline and car upkeep costs.

In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, vehicle thefts rose from 4,638 cases to
6,840 cases. The number of larcenies, burglaries and reported rapes
also increased. One less murder occurred in 2003 compared to 2002 --
67 to 68, respectively.

Overall, the city's crime increased 6 percent -- one of the highest
rates among the state's largest cities. Durham and Winston-Salem also
reported 6 percent increases.

Gaston County Police reported the largest decrease among the largest
cities with 16 percent fewer crimes. Raleigh's rate fell 6 percent and
Wilmington's dropped 7 percent.

Concord, which had the largest increase in reported crime in the
Charlotte area last year, saw a 2 percent drop this year.

The crime rates per 100,000 residents for counties in the Charlotte
region varied. Cabarrus, Gaston, Stanly and Union saw reductions in
their crime rates. Rowan, Catawba, Cleveland and Watauga all posted
increases.

Cooper credited the state's overall crime reduction to the good work
being done by law enforcement agencies, tougher jail sentences and
better use of technology.

The General Assembly expanded the SBI Crime Lab to speed DNA testing,
but it did not grant money to hire more lab workers. Cooper said the
legislature must provide more experts at its next session.