Dixie's growth boom fuels increase in crime

ST. GEORGE — Crime is on the upswing in Utah's booming desert oasis of St. George, according to the city's chief of police, Marlon Stratton.

"We are seeing an increase in gang and drug activity," Stratton said this past week during a presentation on the campus of Dixie State College.

Violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, arson and spouse abuse increased by nearly 23 percent in 2004 over the previous year, he said. Offenses such as fraud, vandalism, sex offenses, narcotics, DUI, graffiti, disorderly conduct and weapons violations also jumped by a little more than 7.5 percent.

Adult arrests for violent crimes increased by 19 percent and jumped 6.7 percent for other crimes. Juvenile arrests fell slightly, he added.

Washington County's population base continues to grow by more than 750 residents a month, according to the county's economic development Web site, and is estimated to be at more than 115,000 people. In St. George alone, there are more than 60,000 residents.

With that population increase comes an increase in all types of crime, Stratton said.

"We made 200 felony arrests and served 51 search warrants, many of which were executed by our SWAT team," he said. "We seized 54 weapons and have 65 arrest warrants pending that will soon be executed."

Stratton's 83 officers issued more than 20,000 citations last year and expect to do more of the same this year.

"It always surprises me that St. George is so full of wonderful people, yet when they get in a car that sometimes goes out the window; they turn into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," he said. "We're getting a lot of red light violations, so we stepped up enforcement of those."

Construction is set to begin soon on St. George Boulevard, the city's main east-west thoroughfare, which could certainly contribute to the frustration some motorists feel while trying to navigate the city's streets.

"On average, we have 12 accidents every day in St. George," Stratton said, adding there was an 11-percent increase in accidents for the year overall. The number of citations also went up by a corresponding 14 percent, he said.

"Officers write a citation 49 percent of the time. Unfortunately, we're seeing more fatal accidents," Stratton said.