| 1994, August |
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Sex crimes in the Duke City have dropped by 14 percent, but some areas of Albuquerque are seeing big increases. (The original 1994 article also included a two-page spread with a map of Albuquerque divided into police department command sectors and police beats enabling the reader to visually track the problem areas for sexually oriented crimes. That map is not reproduced in this web version, however, you can view the location of a police beat by using this link from the Albuquerque Police Department.) A review of the 1992 and 1993 crime statistics released by the Albuquerque Police Department show a dramatic drop in the overall rate of sexually oriented crimes for the Duke City – good news for neighborhoods. Yet while the overall rate of sex crimes was reduced some areas remain the victim of an abnormal rate of sex crimes. Cutting Edge examined Albuquerque Police Department (APD) statistics in four categories for 1992 and 1993:
Prostitution makes up the majority of sexually oriented crimes occurring in Albuquerque: 58 percent. Trailing at 23 percent was rape and rape attempts with “other” sexual offenses rounding out the reports at 18 percent. Most cases of prostitution reported by APD occur in the Central Avenue corridor between Wyoming and the railroad; with a particularly high concentration between Carlisle and Wyoming. The same corridor is also highest for rapes and attempted rapes. In the three years that Cutting Edge has regularly tracked sexually oriented crimes a particular correlation has been noticed between the locations of the reported crimes and sexually oriented businesses. This is not necessarily concrete proof that sexually oriented businesses contribute directly to sexually oriented crimes in the immediate area where they are located, but there are similarities between the type of business and the type of crime in an area. In 1991 Cutting Edge was the first to demonstrate that when a sexually oriented business pen in an area where there were previously no such businesses, the sex crimes rate appears to be affected. The tie-in to location and crime rates, however, is not always consistent. Just because a sexually oriented business opens in a neighborhood does not mean all areas within an equal distance around the business will be equally affected. The criminal correlation is also more evident where there is a concentration of multiple sexually oriented businesses. Five sexually oriented businesses on the same street, such as Central, all within two miles of one another may have a stronger impact on sexually oriented crime than one or two businesses within the same radius, located on different streets. The Good News Everything south of Central between I-25 and Yale showed a 90 percent drop in “Other Sexual Offenses.” The actual number of offenses in 1992 might be considered small – 10 – but the total number of offenses recorded in 1993 was only 1. For an area high in almost every ara of criminal activity that’s a substantial change. Prostitution took a big slide down in several areas of the city. Police beat 321, from the Big-I to Central and Girard; saw a 63 percent drop in prostitution and a 50 percent drop in all categories. One area particular high in sex crimes, Police Beat 325, between I-40 and Central and San Mateo and Louisiana showed a 42 percent drop in prostitution – 55 fewer cases. In fact, all categories dropped by 40 percent. Other areas of significance include Beat 331, one of the most notorious criminal areas of Albuquerque (everything south of Central between Wyoming and Louisiana). Area prostitution dropped by 50 percent, with total sex crimes decreasing by 40 percent. Police beat 334 made a significant drop: 59 percent overall. Migration? The short stretch of property between I-40 and Central, and Carlisle and Washington posted an overall increase of 15 percent; most of that being a 17 percent increase in prostitution. The neighboring area between San Mateo and Washington saw prostitution rise by 21 percent, and all four categories combined rose by 16 percent. Another hot spot near three sexually oriented businesses (I-40 to Central, Pennsylvania to Wyoming) had a 54 percent rise in prostitution and a general increase of 38 percent. Making a connection between the influence that sexually oriented businesses present a neighborhood, and the sex crime rate in a given area can prove tenuous. Not all sexual activity that might be influenced by a particular business may take place in the area of the business. As an example, some massage parlors and dance services that provide strippers for private parties “deliver” their services. And while not all of them are engaged in illegal activity, some illegal activities have been noted from some of these businesses. Yet their influence on the crime rate is difficult to track in this format. Hard & Soft Trends For the purposes of this article, we classify “hard” sex crimes as rape, rape attempts, and prostitution. “Soft” sex crimes include “other sexual offense.” In prior years where there existed a concentration of sex shops primarily dealing in full nudity, publications dealing with “extreme” sexual behaviors, private booths, and allowances for for sexual activity on the premises, hard sex crimes were heavier in the area. Where soft business was located such as topless club, soft crimes were more prevalent. But that trend appears to be changing. In areas where topless clubs are located, hard crimes are now equal to, or rising above instances of soft crime. In the Northeast Heights, Beats 421 and 423 contain a 55 percent concentration of hard crimes as opposed to soft crimes. In years past soft crimes were much more prevalent. Two adult establishments are located in the area: Chapter II’s and TD’s Showclub. Hard crimes in 1993 were more dominant on the Central corridor where hard businesses exist in abundance. Beats 323, 324, 325, 331, 332, and 333 combined had a hard-to-soft ratio of 92-7 percent. Hard businesses include: Newsstand, Pussycat I and II, Madame X, and others. Albuquerque is also beginning to see a mixture of hard and soft businesses coming into closer proximity to one another. An example can be found on San Mateo between Manual and Mcleod. The Newsstand, a long-time fixture at Menual and San Mateo is a hard business. Up the road, just north of Montgomery is Hooters. Technically Hooters cannot be classified as an adult business in the sense of trading in pornography or sexually oriented content. However, the sexual nature of the name, Hooters national reputation, and its attire for waitresses, put it in the category of pseudo-adult entertainment. The sex crime rate in its area also seems unusual when compared to other police beats – standing as one of the top three problem areas for the APD Northeast Heights. Meanwhile and extended examination covering beats 412, 413, and 432 reveals a nearly even rate of hard and soft crimes. Other Problem Neighborhoods A high percentage of sex crimes for the West Sector exist in Beats 221, 225, and 326. Some of this might be attributable to bleed-off from 311 (Beat boundaries are abstract, not real). Another factor may be the normally high rate of crime in this area anyway – homicide, drugs, vandalism, and other problems. Police Beat 239, also in the West Sector contains one adult establishment but does not have an abnormal rate of sex crimes. From these examples we see that one isolated business may not have much of an effect on crimes in a specific area, rather a concentration may have the more significant influence. Where to go to be a Victim Command Sector 2000 Command Sector 300 Command Sector 400 Changing the Status Quo Where government officials have failed or refused to take action, some citizens have found it within their power to make a difference. A group of wives “stake-out” sex shops from across the street, taking photos of license plates and cars in parking lots – then sending the photo to to the owner letting them know that if they see the car there again, they will send the picture to the “lady” of the house noting the day and time it appeared, and in some cases, how long it remained. Churches also have worked hard in many areas to minister to prostitutes and their cliental. It would seem however, that one of the best deterrents to certain sex crimes is good old-fashioned shame. A dose of embarrassment is often enough to steer a man clear of sexual trouble. In the process, neighborhoods can be cleaned up. The necessity for neighborhoods to be able to control the criminal element should not be underemphasized. Laws should be reformed allowing neighborhoods within specific distance from a proposed adult establishment to collectively vote whether such a business will be allowed to operate within their area. This could also be an important project for neighborhood associations. Conclusion The good news is that the overall rate of sex crime is down, even though the influences still exist. |
Albuquerque Sex Crimes Report