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PERCEPTIONS NOT IN LINE WITH REALITY, SOME OFFICIALS SAY

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, September 12, 2009 9:57 PM CDT

The perception that crime in Pine Bluff is worse than a lot of places is wrong, at least according to a number of people interviewed for this article.

Indeed, uniform crime statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice indicate that the crime index in Pine Bluff is on par with Arkansas cities like Hot Springs, Little Rock and West Memphis, though much higher than similar-size cities like Rogers and Conway.

“I really don’t think Pine Bluff is all that different from other cities,” Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kyle Hunter said. “You can talk about other areas around the state that are very similar but have smaller populations and then you can go into places like Little Rock and Hot Springs, places people say are nicer places to live, and they have just as much of a crime problem as we do. From that aspect, I think that’s where Pine Bluff gets its bad rap.”

Perception plays a big part, according to Hunter.

“It’s not so much that’s it’s different from West Memphis, Hot Springs or Little Rock as far as the amount of crime, but maybe the lack of other amenities make you look over that,” he said. “If we had a riverwalk like Little Rock or a race track like Hot Springs, maybe people wouldn’t notice the crimes as much.”

Steve Sumner, a criminal justice instructor at Southeast Arkansas College, agreed that Pine Bluff suffers an image problem, especially when compared to Hot Springs.

“Population wise, Hot Springs is a smaller town than Pine Bluff, but they’re actually a bigger town because of the number of people that visit there on a regular basis during the racing season and summer time,” he said. “Their population actually doubles during those times while Pine Bluff’s population drops during those times because a lot of our people go over there.

Age differences

“The other thing is they have a very high elderly population, a lot higher than Pine Bluff’s,” Sumner said. “We have a relatively young population, a lot of juveniles, a lot of the 30 to 35 age crowd here and that will raise the crime rates.

“The crime rates actually start to drop off after about 35, and while they’ve got a much higher older population than we do, they might also have a higher victimization rate because criminals tend to prey on elderly people.”

Juvenile Court Prosecutor Brandon Robinson said he sees some positive trends in combatting crime among juveniles, which has been substantial.

“There’s a lot of good things about Pine Bluff but we have to get the crime and drugs under control,” he said. “Juvenile court to me is the front line of what’s going on in this community,” he said.

“Lets face it, the average age of a criminal now days is in their early 20s. That’s your demographics for criminals, especially in Pine Bluff, and I think we’re getting an early start on trying to deal with the problem,” he said.

Chris Hart, the human resources manager at Central Moloney and a Pine Bluff native, is a strong supporter of his hometown, and believes more people should get involved in supporting it.

“One of the things that disturbs me is that people will work here their entire life, then retire and go to places like Hot Springs because they think this city has so many problems, including crime,” Hart said. “If it was good enough for them to make their living here, what suddenly changed when they retired.”

The perception that things are worse than they are creates what Lou Ann Nisbett, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Alliance called a “knock-out factor,” in terms of trying to attract new businesses and industries.

“It makes it very hard for us, especially with all the great things we have here,” she said. “What we’ve got to continue to do is to work to improve that image, do a lot of marketing.

“We all have to be ambassadors for the community, and speak out about what’s positive about Pine Bluff, including the community spirit, the volunteerism, and get excited about what’s great here,” Nisbett said. “We’re not going to give up because things are turning around, and we’re going to get even better.”

Common issues

Prosecuting Attorney Steve Dalrymple meets prosecutors from other areas of the state on a regular basis. He acknowledges that while there is a crime problem in Pine Bluff, the same problem exists elsewhere in Arkansas.

“Different places have some problems that are unique to them, but we all have some things in common,” said Dalrymple. “We borrow ideas from each other because we also share some of the same bad guys.

“Some of our drug activity for example is the result of the drugs and drug dealers who come here, and it’s not uncommon for people who shoplift and commit thefts to come here from other places, do their thing, then go back to where they came from,” he added.

The perception that crime in Pine Bluff is actually worse than it really is bothers police Lt. Bob Rawlinson. The department has seen reported crimes drop for six of the first seven months this year.

Each city’s crime issues are different, and they need to be treated differently Rawlinson said.

“When you start comparing crime rates, everybody has different economic bases, and even though other cities show they have a higher crime rate than us, or a lower crime rate than us, what we need to be concerned about is Pine Bluff,” he said. “We need to keep working the way we’ve been working and get the community involved because the police department can’t do it by ourselves.

“You have got to have the support of the community, and it’s got to be a partnership between the community and law enforcement to be able to reduce crime. That’s been proven over and over again.”

Mike Barbarotto, a member of the Weed and Seed Steering Committee, also heavily involved with the Neighborhood Watch and the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, agreed that changing the city’s image is difficult.

“I let it get to me recently and told some people that if they thought Pine Bluff was so bad, why didn’t they go somewhere else.

“It was not what I should have said, but I get consumed with negative attitudes sometimes,” he said. “Sad as it is, some folks have actually given up and think there is no hope and until there is some hope, nothing is going to happen with them in their attitudes toward negativity.

“Pine Bluff still has a lot of good, honest working people, both black and white, that just need to be brought together to form a good team working together for the good of all,” Barbarotto said.

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