While southwestern Oklahoma and, indeed, the state itself, continues to wrestle with criminal justice issues, the number of violent crimes in Lawton – and the rest of Oklahoma – has increased over the past three years.
And though the overall violent rate remains down from its highest point in 2007, the rate is climbing again. Records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that violent crime – the number of murders or homicides, nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – increased by 2.16 percent in 2018. That increase followed an 8.99 percent increase in 2017. Those numbers exceed Oklahoma’s statewide crime rate for the same time period.
Lawton’s crime rate for 2018 was 901.87 per 100,000 population, an increase of 2.16 percent from 2017. The 2017 rate was 882.78 per 100,000 population, an increase of 8.99 percent over 2016. In addition to violent crime, the number of citations issued by Lawton police has increased. Records provided by the City of Lawton show that police issued 16,923 citations in 2016. A year later, 17,698 citations were issued, an increase of 775. In 2018, Lawton police issued 18,664 citations and this year, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 16, police have issued 19,257 citations. Police also reported 14 homicides in Lawton for 2019 as of Dec. 16.
In 2016, however, Lawton’s crime rate, the FBI reported, had declined dramatically, dropping to 810 per 100,000 population – a decrease of 16.76 percent. At that time, Lawton’s decrease was touted by several groups including SafeHome.org, a website focused on home security issues, which named Lawton one of the country’s safest cities for 2017. “We take pride in knowing that our city is safe,” said Sgt. Timothy Jenkins, Lawton Police Department public information officer, in a media statement issued by the city at the time. “We credit this accomplishment to our citizens, as well as our officers. The citizens help us by working in conjunction with our department and that is a major contributing factor to how we maintain safety in our city.”
That same statement reported that Lawton was on track to have 199 police officers on its force by the end of the 2018 fiscal year. Since then, however, the number of violent crimes has risen, sparking conversations and meetings among community leaders. In November, the City of Lawton and officials with Cameron University hosted the “Mayor’s Panel Discussion on Crime and Community.” The event also included officials from Oklahoma’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Lawton police.
Christopher Hill, a sociology professor at the University of Oklahoma, said Oklahoma’s ranking for the most violent crimes and property crimes was slightly above the national rates per 100,000 population, adding that Lawton is even above the Oklahoma average for those crimes. Rick Lowe, a criminal justice professor at Cameron University, said juvenile crime was down though young adults – those over the age of 18 - were the ones most involved in crime.
“When we look at offending, it’s important to realize what type of offenses are happening and what type of individuals might be responsible for those type of crimes,” Lowe told Lawton television station KSWO. “Typically, what we find is the younger the age with regard to the late teens, early twenties tend to be the most active as far as criminal activity goes.” Still, the issue isn’t confined to just Lawton.
Statewide, violent crime is up, according to FBI figures. Data show that the state’s crime rate increased from 414 per 100,000 population in 2014 to 466 per 100,000 population in 2016. Both numbers exceeded the national average for the same years. Hill, the professor, said part of the issue could be due to structural and cultural factors in this region of the U.S., including poverty, education and other factors. Because the state has a higher poverty rate than other states in the region, the crime rate has also increased.