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Study: Homicides Involving Black Youths, Guns Are Surging

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

vkalfrin@tampatrib.com

Published: December 29, 2008

Updated: 12/29/2008 04:07 pm

TAMPA - A new report issued by criminologists at Northeastern University in Boston finds a "dramatic surge" in homicides involving black juveniles and guns — but leaves Florida and Washington, D.C., out of the analysis.

James Alan Fox, a criminal justice and law professor who specializes in measuring homicide trends, and assistant professor of criminal justice Marc Swatt, examined supplemental homicide data submitted by law enforcement agencies across the country for the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.

Released today, their analysis found that from 2002 to 2007, the number of homicides where the victims were black males younger than 18 increased 31 percent; the number of offenders in this demographic rose by 43 percent.

The analysis was compiled using data from 49 states, but not Florida and Washington, D.C. The FBI says the Supplementary Homicide Report data submitted by Florida and Washington, D.C., does not meet its guidelines for the Uniform Crime Reports.

Reached by phone Saturday, Fox said he tried to address the incompatibility issue by speaking with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement but was unable "to capture Florida data the way I needed to for this project."

"At the national level, we make some adjustments for it," he said, elaborating on the calculations of the percent changes.

Local law enforcement agencies said they have seen no spike in black juveniles killed by handguns.

Tampa Police report one 17-year-old – Levi Dixon – shot to death in 2008 and one – 17-year-old C.J. Mills - in 2007.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reports that no blacks under the age of 18 were killed by handguns in either 2007 or 2008. The St. Petersburg Police Department reports that one black juvenile – 17-year-old Javon Dawson, who was shot by a police officer - was killed by a handgun in 2008 and two were killed in 2007.

Fox, who has served as a visiting fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, said Saturday he thinks the overall analysis shows a trend "hidden within the overall rosy picture" of declining violent crime.

He hoped the study would improve efforts to trace weapons and deal with illegal gun markets. He also urged for the restoration of funding for youth-enrichment and crime-prevention programs, which have been pinched by the financial crisis.

"Just like we dealt with the banks and the auto industry, we have to bail out at-risk kids," he said. "Youth development doesn't wait, and neither does crime."

Reporter Stephen Thompson and editor Howard Altman contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can reached at (813) 259-7800.

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