Tempe Police Department releases 2014 Annual Report
May 17, 2015, 5:14 PM | Updated: 5:14 pm
TEMPE, Ariz. — According to the Tempe Police Department’s 2014 Annual Report, violent crime in Tempe has experienced a slight decrease, while property crime and reports of sexual assault have slightly increased.
In a message from Tempe Chief of Police Tom Ryff, Ryff says Part I crime has, in general, increased by 1.5 percent. Part I crime constitutes major crime such as murder, forcible rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, arson and theft. However, according to the department’s 2014 statistics, crimes of violent nature specifically are down four percent from the previous year.
The overall increase comes from property crime (up two percent) and incidents of sexual assault. No statistics were provided for the increase in reports of sexual assault.
“Tempe Police partner each year with law enforcement and social service agencies to bring attention
to, prevent, and combat sexual violence,” said Ryff.
“We have been working to remove any stigma attached to being the victim of a crime. We continue to send a clear message that perpetrators of violence and abuse will be pursued, located, arrested, charged, and in partnership with the County Attorney, faced with sentencing for their crimes.”
The statistics from 2014 also show that Tempe Police responded to over 151,798 calls for service, achieving an 80 percent approval rating on the annual City of Tempe Community Survey. The 80 percent approval rating is “significantly above the national average,” according to the report.
