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Violent Crime Trends in Gower, Missouri: A Decade of Sporadic Incidents
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Gower, Missouri, a small city with a population that declined from 2,678 in 2010 to 2,503 in 2022, presents an intriguing case study in violent crime trends. Over the twelve-year period from 2010 to 2022, the city experienced fluctuations in its violent crime rates while maintaining an overall low incidence. The total number of violent crimes varied annually, peaking at 5 incidents in 2015, with several years reporting zero incidents. This pattern occurred against the backdrop of a 6.5% population decrease.
A notable aspect of Gower's crime statistics is the consistent absence of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter throughout the entire period. From 2010 to 2022, the city reported zero incidents in this category, resulting in a stable rate of 0 murders per 1,000 people and no contribution to the state's murder statistics.
Rape incidents in Gower were infrequent and sporadic. The city reported two cases in 2015, accounting for 0.11% of the state's total, and one case in 2013, representing 0.06% of the state's total. All other years recorded no rape incidents. The peak rate occurred in 2015 with approximately 0.82 cases per 1,000 residents, based on the population of 2,432 that year. This data suggests that while rape is not a persistent issue in Gower, isolated incidents can significantly impact the city's crime statistics due to its small population size.
Robbery trends in Gower mirrored the low and intermittent pattern seen with rape incidents. The data shows two robberies in 2013, constituting 0.04% of the state's total, and one robbery in 2018, accounting for 0.02% of the state's total. All other years reported zero robberies. The highest rate was recorded in 2013 at about 0.75 robberies per 1,000 residents, indicating that robbery is not a chronic problem in the city, but occasional incidents do occur.
Aggravated assault showed some variation over the years, with the highest number of incidents recorded in 2015 at 3 cases, representing 0.02% of the state's total. There were also 2 cases in 2016 (0.01% of state total) and 1 case in 2018 (0.01% of state total). The peak rate was observed in 2015 at approximately 1.23 cases per 1,000 residents. This data suggests that while aggravated assault is more common than other violent crimes in Gower, it remains relatively low and inconsistent.
An examination of potential correlations reveals a weak relationship between population density and violent crime rates in Gower. Years with higher population density, such as 2013 (2,650 people per square mile) and 2015 (2,403 people per square mile), coincided with higher numbers of violent crimes (3 and 5 incidents respectively). However, this correlation is not consistent across all years, indicating that other factors may influence crime rates.
Forecasting violent crime trends for Gower for the next five years (up to 2029) is challenging due to the inconsistent nature of the data. However, based on historical patterns, it is reasonable to expect that the city will continue to experience low levels of violent crime, with occasional spikes in certain years. Gower may see between 0-5 violent crime incidents annually, with aggravated assault being the most likely type of violent crime to occur.
In conclusion, Gower, Missouri, has maintained relatively low and inconsistent violent crime rates from 2010 to 2022. The most significant findings include the complete absence of murders, sporadic occurrences of rape and robbery, and slightly more frequent but still low rates of aggravated assault. These trends, combined with the city's small and slightly declining population, suggest that Gower remains a relatively safe community with occasional isolated incidents of violent crime.
