Photo by Alan Cleaver, Creative Commons

Desert cities, too, are reflecting a nationwide trend of decreasing rates of violent crime, according to preliminary FBI statistics showing that murder, forcible rape, and aggravated assault decreased by 5.5 percent nationally.  The statistics record the years 2009 to 2010.

Defying the stereotype that desert cities are being overrun by inner city gangs fleeing redevelopment projects in the big city, many desert cities actually have less violent crime then the national average.

For instance,  Victorville has shown an approximate 13 percent drop in crime.

The most stunning drop in crime comes from San Bernardino.  Down from 1,908 violent crimes in ‘09 to 1,624 in 2010; the violent crime rate has dropped to almost a full 15 percent.

This percentage is made by subtracting the 2010 data from the 2009 data, and the remainder is divided by the 2009 data.

FBI.gov states, “The report is based on information the FBI gathered from 13,007 law enforcement agencies that submitted six to 12 comparable months of data for both 2009 and 2010.”

The name of the report submitted yesterday (May 23) is called Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report.

The report does not state why the decrease in violent crime has been occurring over the last few years.   A Time Magazine article dated February 22, 2010, by David Von Drehle, states the usual reasons.  Police say its because of increased police activity (i.e. more involvement with the community); demographers cite increased seniority nationwide as the babyboomers start retiring; and some even state that legalized abortion has contributed to this drop in crime (fewer unwanted babies who tend to grow up into “thugs”).

It’s likely that these all had their effect on the decreasing crime rates, but more research is being done to study why crime rates are dropping.

Above:  A victim of child abuse (not the same one mentioned in the blog).

A Barstow couple was sentenced to life in prison for torturing the man’s 3-year-old son to death.

It isn’t clear why the couple did what they did, but when police found the boy he was dead with extensive external and internal injuries.  And get this … it was the child’s birthday.  This was back in 2006.

Well, they got their punishment.  From the Desert Dispatch, “on Thursday Judge Steve Mapes at the Barstow courthouse sentenced Thomas Othy Darthart, 27 and Moy Yamill Ellis, 32 to life in prison without possibility of parole for the murder of Thomas Timothy Fredric Darthart. The couple also received 25 years to life for assault on a child resulting in death, seven years to life for torture and ten years for child abuse resulting in death.”

While this is truly a tragic event, I’d like to take this opportunity to dispel a rather common myth that is propagated in patriotic circles all over the United States.

First, of course, a disclaimer; I agree that soldiers, sailors, and airmen should be thanked for their service. Ben Moreno, a Desert Dog, is former military.

What I’m seeking, however, is a somewhat more reasonable approach to those in the military.

They are, after all, humans like all of us, and shouldn’t be deified to the level that they often are, especially in the ’socially conservative’ circles.

In the words of George Carlin, “Stop that!”