GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS IN NEW COUNTY CRIME STATISTICS

The overall number of criminal cases referred to the Kitsap County
Prosecutor's Office decreased by 5 percent last year. But some case types
are on the rise - including drug crimes, domestic violence incidents and
Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUIs).

The most violent crime of all - murder - saw only six cases in 2001, down
from 14 in 2000.

Those revelations and more were detailed in the 2001 annual report released
this week by Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge.

"We weren't surprised to see the number of domestic violence and drug cases
increase, but the increase in DUI cases wasn't expected," Hauge said. Hauge
said the rise in domestic violence referrals can be attributed to increased
awareness among law enforcement officers.

Last year, comprehensive training was conducted among the officers -
something not done since 1997.

Last year 2,859 domestic violence cases were referred to prosecutors, an
increase from 2,593 the previous year.

As for the increase in DUI referrals last year, which went from 1,120 to
1,413 (26 percent increase), Hauge said the number of case referrals from
the Washington State Patrol is up overall.

Drug cases, meanwhile have been on the rise since they were first tracked
in 1997. Last year the number increased by about 7 percent.

Hauge blames the proliferation of methamphetamine in Kitsap County for the
continued increases in drug crimes in the area.

This year Hauge established a special drug unit in his office to better
handle the increasing drug crime caseloads. The unit works in the same way
as the Prosecutor's Office special assault unit by focusing solely on a
particular type of crime.

"(Fighting) drugs is a priority in our office," Hauge said. "And I think we
are doing a pretty good job of mobilizing all of our resources."

Overall the number of criminal referrals declined from 15,823 in 2000 to
15,043 last year, according to the report.

Hauge said one gratifying number included in the annual report shows that
the number of dispositions has increased over last year. A disposition is
the conclusion of a charged case.

Last year there were 10,535 dispositions, up from 9,048 in 2000.