Crime has existed since Cain killed Abel as outlined in Genesis 4:8 when the first murder occurred. Cain killed Abel even though there is no record of Abel doing anything to Cain, certainly nothing that warranted death. In fact, the biblical record is that it was God not Abel who did not accept Cain’s offering.
So we should not be under the illusion that we can stop all crime. However, government authorities and citizens ought to steadfastly seek to identify and implement in a fair and reasonable manner policies, procedures, and attitudes of individuals and groups that reduce the probability of crime. Accurate, honest, transparent, and visible data is important to achieve that goal.
The variety of data should consider and promulgate elements of who, why, where, and how among other factors to the extent possible. In this day of technology the correct not self-serving answers to all of these questions should be publicly easily available so as to promote corrective actions and to minimize distrust rooted in wrong assumptions.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) collects crime statistics from the various Sherriff Offices and Police Departments within the state. You may find the information for 2017 by going to the stated page of the ACIC Race and Sex of Persons Arrested Document as indicated below:
States have their own reporting formats. So reports similar that above for Arkansas were not readily available on the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Statistics website.
City Data is a non-government site that collects various kinds of data on cities. Statistical info on both Texarkana Arkansas and Texas may be found at the links given below for years 2004-2015. Be mindful City Data is not an official government site and should therefore be consumed with that in mind.
The Texarkana Chamber of Commerce also published a 2016 Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area Report on Texarkana area crime. However, this report does not look at the cities on a city by city basis but rather on a geographically wide area basis thus enlarging the scope of the population. The report seemingly suggests that any significant crime in a given city would be a function of the temporary presence of people (“transients”) from surrounding areas. The ratio of crime by out-of towners to in-towners would be interesting to me.
Any analysis of crime data would conclude there are far to many inter-racial (across races) as well as intra-racial (within a race) killings and crimes in general.
The twin voids of spiritual productivity and equitable economic productivity seem to be major contributors to the largeness of criminal activity.
Each home, church, and racial community has a responsibility to look within as well as outward. This includes but is not limited to exercising citizen rights to ensure corresponding city, state and national authorities enact, enable, and energize policies and programs that support progress.
References:
- Texarkana Texas Manual on Racial Profiling and Similar Issues
- NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet
- NAACP Fair Chance Hiring Fact Sheet
