Minneapolis police study tells where, who, when of robberies ------------------------------------------------------------ A new analysis breaks down the numbers, indicating that the department's focus on juvenile crime is the right approach. By David Chanen, Star Tribune Last update: February 16, 2007 - 11:23 PM If you were one of the nearly 2,800 reported robbery victims in Minneapolis in 2006, you were most likely robbed on a street or sidewalk by a male between the ages of 13 and 17, according to an analysis the Police Department released Friday. The crime also more likely happened Thursday through Sunday, between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Many robberies happened in June or July. Whether victim or robber, you were probably male. But as a victim, you were most likely between ages 20 and 39 and threatened or assaulted while the robber demanded money. Jordan and Hawthorne neighborhoods on the North Side and Whittier and Central on the South were the top spots for robbers. Last year's robbery totals were the highest since 1997 and a major factor for the 17 percent increase in violent crime reports in 2006. The analysis, which has been produced for the past two years, supported the Police Department's renewed focus on juvenile crime: Victims reported that 1,581 robbery suspects in 2006 were 13 to 17 years old. "I had no idea the number of juvenile suspects would be so high," said Police Chief Tim Dolan. "The analysis gives us a clear picture of what we're dealing with and when and where it's happening." The analysis also illustrates why he recently added four more investigators to the juvenile unit that was created last year. And, because chronic truants often end up on a police blotter, the department last week kicked off a citywide effort to go to the homes of those juveniles and talk to their parents. If six weeks of 2007 data are any indication, the strategies seem to be working. Robbery is down 33 percent and violent crime overall has dropped 24 percent compared to the same time last year. (Violent crime also includes rape, homicide and aggravated assault.) Last year, the robbery unit focused on business robberies, and about 100 fewer were robbed than in 2005. Lt. Mike Fossum said his robbery unit now plans to focus on serial street robbers and repeat offenders. Race and geography The department also examined the race of suspects and victims. Victims reported that the robber or robbers were black 85 percent of the time; 82 percent of those arrested for robbery were black. Of the victims, 48 percent were white and 30 percent were black. (A victim's race is reported at the discretion of officers, and about 16 percent were listed in a category including mixed race or unknown race.) "It's not a secret to any of us that we were concerned about violent crime in our community," said Clarence Hightower, executive director of the Minneapolis Urban League. "Being a person of color, I'm disappointed that such a high percentage of suspects are persons of color. I'm concerned if it's parallel to the number of convictions." The intensifying rise of racial and social segregation in the Twin Cities is a contributing factor to the high number of blacks alleged to be committing the majority of the robberies in Minneapolis, said Myron Orfield, executive director of the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota. Public policy seems to be encouraging schools and low-income housing to become more segregated, which cuts the opportunities for minorities to succeed, he said. Jordan in north Minneapolis was listed as the neighborhood with the most robberies. Although 216 incidents were reported, Jerry Moore, executive director of the Jordan Area Community Council, wondered how many more were never brought to the Police Department's attention. The neighborhood needs better street lighting and more police patrols in areas where there have been increased housing foreclosures, he said. South Side numbers down The Police Department's Third Precinct, which consists of many of the city's South Side neighborhoods, had the largest number of robberies in 2006. The numbers are down so far this year, but Precinct Inspector Lucy Gerold said robberies are still a top priority. Last week, officers stopped 355 suspicious vehicles and suspects in high robbery areas, she said. "Last year, we tackled a string of robberies near a light-rail station and robberies of pizza deliverers," she said. "But you have all kinds of victims, like johns robbing prostitutes and people getting money taken when they try to buy drugs. And then you have kids who use fake guns in a robbery and don't think it's a big deal." David Chanen o 612-673-4465