The reasons behind the Hattiesburg crime rates

Hattiesburg, MS - The Hattiesburg Police Department crime rates have increased by 12 percent since last month, partially because of a national glitch, the understanding of numbers, and the fifty auto-burglary thefts last month.

Public Information Office LT. Jon Traxler mentions, "We want the public to be aware of the crime numbers, the big thing about numbers is that during the invesigation of a particular crime that is reported, things can be found during that investigation that can change that title of the crime, with the change of the crime that can change the numbers too."

The Hattiesburg Police Department voluntarily submits numbers to the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) too, which also causes the disconnect between the local and national numbers of the Hattiesburg crime rates.

Traxler says, "The FBI went to an en electronic system as well, in 2014 their system has been talking to our system. Well in doing so, we started seeing that they had a higher number than we did. It had been learned that their has been software glitches. Because of those glitches the FBI system was actually counting double."

Not only is the Hattiesburg Police Department fixing the glitch, but hiring new police officers to add on to their current shortage. Traxler says that the new Police Academy will start in February 2016.

If you want more information on the Hattiesburg crime rates, you can call the Hattiesburg Police Department at (601) 544-7900.