Crime wave

Despite the fact that there were 11 armed robberies between Friday and Monday, police spokesman Michael Joyner wants us to know that "crime has not increased" in Fort Wayne:

Police statistics show that the 45 reported armed robberies are only a slight increase over the same period last year. Spokesman Michael Joyner says it shows this rash is not cause for alarm, but that people should be cautious, regardless.

People don't live their lives by statistics, though. They don't walk around thinking, "Gee, I know it seems like there have been a lot of robberies lately, but numbers don't lie, so thank goodness I'm safe." A clustering of the same type of crime, especially one of violence, does make the city less safe for a time, even if it's true that, overall, crime isn't increasing.

It doesn't help that one of them -- the murder of a pizza delivery man, apparently only for his pizzas -- is especially senseless. And it just adds to the feeling of vulnerability when police feel compelled to tell people to watch out for themselves, as in:

 "Just (use) common-sense approaches,” Joyner said, such as staying in well-lighted areas and not carrying lots of shopping bags, which can make you vulnerable. “You should always be aware of your surroundings,” he said.

Thanks, I will certainly do that. Now, go catch some bad guys, and I'll really feel better.

UPDATE: Good news here. "One of the men listed as suspects in the Sunday shooting death of a pizza delivery driver has been apprehended."