http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/sta...anton-1.602172


Violent crime in Scranton jumped 19 percent in 2009, and the latest statistics point to a significant rise in juveniles committing aggravated assaults as a reason why.

Some officials in the criminal justice system said the numbers confirm what they already knew, and they believe drugs, gang activity and the recession are all playing a role.

"The concern is the level of violence, the absolute audacity and lack of respect we are seeing," said Frank Castellano, head of the juvenile unit in the Lackawanna County district attorney's office.

Increasing violence is only part of the story that emerges from preliminary statistics the Scranton Police Department files monthly with the state's Uniform Crime Reporting System. The submission last month of December's numbers closes the book on 2009 and shows the city at odds with a national decline in violent crime.

In six of the past eight years - the exceptions were steep drops in 2006 and 2007 - violent crime has increased in Scranton. The FBI, which uses the statistics from the state system for its own annual count, categorizes violent crime as murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Violent crimes and property crimes - burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson - make up the eight most serious, consistently reported offenses the FBI tracks.

Property crimes are Scranton's most prevalent offenses, and in that category there was little change - a 1 percent dip.

The city's 2009 property crime rate per 1,000 residents surpassed that of urban heavyweights Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, while Scranton ranked fifth among the state's 10 most populous cities behind Allentown, Lancaster, Reading and Harrisburg.

In violent crime, Scranton ranked seventh out of the 10.