Close Look Crime in Oklahoma

Lewis Loflin

Follow @Lewis90068157

Oklahoma is very much a "Redneck" state with a sizable American Indian population. Oklahoma City was the target of a terrorist bombing in the 1990s that killed almost 168 people. According to their 2011 Annual Reports crime overall like most states has dropped, but a surge in murders in 2011 followed a drop in 2010. Violent crime overall dropped by 1.6 percent in 2011. According to the Sentencing Project (2007) Oklahoma has the highest white incarceration rate in America at 740 per 100,000. Compare with New Jersey at 190 and West Virginia at 390.

Even here blacks are many times more likely to commit violent crimes than whites and more likely to use a firearm or deadly weapon. At 7.4 percent of the population of Oklahoma in 2011 they committed 36 percent of the murders, 25 percent of the rapes, 48 percent of the robberies, and 25 percent of the assaults.

That means the more blacks in prison, representative of their level of criminality, means sizable reductions in violent crime. It's not how many in prison, it's who is in prison. The drops in violent crime over the last two decades corresponds directly with high levels of black incarceration. Their incarceration rate in Oklahoma is 2930 per 100,000 in 2005.

Murder

A total of 219 murders was reported by law enforcement agencies in 2011. A total of 177 murders was cleared by arrest or exceptional means, representing a clearance rate of 80.8%. The 25-year-old to 29-year-old age group accounted for the highest percentage of persons arrested for murder at approximately 14.7% of the total. Note that like most states Hispanics are counted as white inflating the white crime rate. They have a separate category as victims.

Of the 170 persons arrested for murder, 52.9 percent were White, 35.9 percent were Black, 11.2 percent were Indian, and 0.0 percent were Asian. Firearms were employed in 63.0% of all reported murders. The use of a knife or other cutting device was involved in 13.7% of the murders.

The murder of one family member by another accounted for 48 offenses or 21.9% of all murders; 7.8% of the 219 offenses resulted from one spouse killing the other. The victim-offender relationship was identified in 158 of the 219 reported murders. In 91.8% of these cases, the victims were known by the offenders. In this case with Chris Lane a stranger randomly murdered is unusual.

Murder victims were 130 whites, 75 blacks, 12 Indians, and 2 Asian. 17 are recorded as Hispanic and 3 unknown.

Rape

A total of 1,459 forcible and attempted rapes was reported by law enforcement agencies in 2011. A total of 567 rapes was cleared by arrest or exceptional means, resulting in a clearance rate of 38.9%.

Of all persons arrested for rape, 39.1 percent were under the age of 25; 68.2 percent were White/Hispanic, 24.9 percent were Black, 6.5 percent were Indian, and 0.4 percent were Asia. The race of the victims wasn't given.

Robbery

A total of 3,287 robberies was reported by law enforcement agencies in 2011. Robberies accounted for 18.6 percent of all violent crimes. A total of 842 robberies was cleared; this was a clearance rate of 25.6%.

The highest percentage of persons arrested for robbery (14.0%) was in the 25-year-old to 29-year-old age category. Of all persons arrested for robbery, 47.3% were White, 47.6% were Black, 5.0% were Indian, and 0.1% were Asian. Armed robbery (with any type of weapon) was responsible for 63.7% of the total number of offenses. The value of property stolen in robberies totaled $3,554,279.

Aggravated Assault

A total of 12,665 aggravated assaults was reported by law enforcement agencies in 2011. Aggravated assaults accounted for 71.8 percent of all violent crime. A total of 6,023 aggravated assaults was cleared by arrest or exceptional means, representing a clearance rate of 47.6 percent.

Of all persons arrested, 66.3 percent were White/Hispanic, 25.1 percent were Black, 8.0 percent were Indian, and 0.6 percent were Asian. Of all types of aggravated assaults, the use of "other dangerous weapon" was the most prevalent; this category reflected 4,480 offenses or 35.4 percent of all aggravated assault.

Burglary

A total of 36,724 burglaries was reported in 2011. A total of 2,827 burglaries was cleared by arrest or exceptional means. This was a clearance rate of 7.7 percent. Of all persons arrested, 67.3 percent were White/Hispanic, 25.1 percent were Black, 7.2 percent were Indian, and 0.4 percent were Asian.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010, the state of Oklahoma has an estimated population of 3,751,351.

White: 72.2 percent
Black or African American: 7.4 percent
Native American: 8.6 percent
Asian: 1.7 percent
Two or more races: 4.7 percent
Hispanic 8.9 percent

Female victims of black violence.

Lewis Loflin

Follow @Lewis90068157