A Look at Criminal Activity in Troy

An eighteen months look at crime in our hometown

One of the most interesting data tools out there to look at our community through is the Community Crime Map. This free product which can be access here combs through thousands of police records to give access to data on crime throughout the entire country. Anyone can create a number of maps, graphs and charts looking at criminal actvity for literally any place at any time.

As 2024 begins, this publication thought it would be interesting to take a look at some snapshots of crime in our community, focusing on five areas that tend to comprise most of the criminal activity in the community: thefts, drug offenses, assaults, disorderly conducts cases and vandalism. This is clearly not an exhaustive list of all crimes in Troy, but this covers most of them that don’t involve a motor vehicle. Also, this publication took an effort to look at the data on a quarterly basis staring with the second half of 2022. This publication wanted to see if there were any trends in the criminal activity we could be seein as a community. The data collected yielded an interesting graph:

EDIT: Here is a new chart with more contrasting colors. A few folks commented that the previous chart was hard to read.

The story of crime in Troy, Ohio, as it unfolded through 2022 and 2023, is a tale of varying patterns across different types of criminal activities. Starting with thefts, this particular crime showed a somewhat intriguing trajectory over the quarters. In the early part of 2022, the incidents of theft were moderately high but not alarmingly so. However, as we ventured into 2023, a subtle yet noticeable increase began to emerge, especially in the latter half of the year. The peak of theft incidents occurred in the third quarter of 2023 with 66 reported cases, hinting at an underlying issue that perhaps grew incrementally over the year.

Drug violations in Troy told a different story. The beginning of 2023 saw a high number of drug-related incidents, with a peak in the first quarter. This number was substantially higher than what was observed in the latter part of 2022. However, as the year progressed, a significant downward trend became apparent. By the fourth quarter of 2023, drug violations had decreased markedly, suggesting the possibility of effective law enforcement measures or other community intervention programs making a tangible impact. With the recent passage of State Issue 2, which legalized recreational marijuana, it will be interesting to see how this trend line moves in the future.

Assaults in Troy presented a more complex pattern, fluctuating across the quarters without a clear or consistent trend. The highest number of assaults was reported in the third quarter of 2022, but this number varied in the subsequent quarters, not showing a definitive increase or decrease overall. This fluctuation could point to various factors influencing assault cases, requiring a deeper investigation to understand the root causes.

Disorderly conduct cases in Troy remained relatively stable throughout the observed period. Minor variations did occur, but they weren't significant enough to indicate a major shift in the nature or frequency of these incidents. This consistency might suggest that the factors leading to disorderly conducts remained constant over time.

Vandalism, meanwhile, saw its own unique pattern. The second quarter of 2023 witnessed a notable peak in vandalism incidents, indicating a temporary escalation in such activities. However, following this peak, there was a decline towards the end of 2023, returning to numbers closer to those seen in the latter part of 2022.

The line graph that visualizes these trends adds another dimension to our understanding. It clearly shows the rise and fall of different crime categories over time, offering a visual narrative of the changing crime landscape in Troy. This kind of visualization is crucial in identifying not just the trends but also in pinpointing specific quarters where interventions might have been particularly effective or where additional resources might be needed.

In conclusion, the crime analysis of Troy, Ohio, reveals a dynamic interplay of various criminal activities, each following its own pattern over the course of the last eighteen months. From the steady decrease in drug violations to the erratic nature of assaults and the gradual increase in thefts, each trend provides some interesting insights. These insights can serve as valuable guides for law enforcement and community leaders in shaping strategies and allocating resources to effectively address and preempt criminal activities in the future.

Thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter. This project is growing each and every day and your support is critical to the publication’s success. Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors and leave your insights and ideas in the comment section.