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Crime in Shaker Heights hits record low

Posted at 10:01 PM, Jan 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-31 23:29:35-05

One category of crime in Shaker Heights considered the most serious in nature just hit a record low, a police department spokesman said Tuesday.

Commander John Cole said in 2016 the department logged 544 cases of what the FBI refers to as “Part one crime.” That’s the most violent offenses like theft, robberies, rapes and murders.

It’s down from 613 in 2015 and 616 in 2014 and far lower than the record high 2,451 in 1975. Cole said 2016’s crime rate is the lowest since they started tracking it in 1959.

"It’s a tribute to the terrific work that our police department does,” Mayor Earl Leiken said, adding Shaker Heights is one of the few departments in Northeast Ohio with national accreditation.

“You have to comply with the highest standards,” he said. "You’re always under a review to make sure you’re maintaining them.”

But the department is also well-funded. Census numbers show Shaker Heights remains one of the wealthiest cities in Northeast Ohio. Most residents own their homes and pay some of the highest property tax rates in the area.