Even though the general crime rate has been reduced, the number of arrests for specific juvenile offences is increasing.  This trend is likely to continue as the juvenile population is expected to increase 29% by the year 2020.  The growing number of juveniles between the ages of 10 and 18 will require additional probation and other crime prevention services for at-risk youth.  In addition, the crime prevention services need to be responsive to the growing elderly population in the City, because seniors are too often the victims of crime.  These services will also need to respond to an increasingly diverse community culturally and ethnically, which is impacted by crime in different ways.

In 2001, 41 people were killed in RJ City in alcohol-related traffic collisions and 1,017 people were injured.  These statistics represent a 47% increase from the 28 persons who were killed in 2000 and a 5% increase from the 964 who were injured in 2000.  1997 represented the lowest number of DUI deaths reported in the City - 25.  The peak year for alcohol-related crashes was 1987 when 70 people were killed in impaired driving collisions and 1,772 were injured. In the decade since, drunken driving deaths and injuries have decreased approximately 40%.

Victims of crime may receive information and support from Victim Advocates in both the City Attorney’s Office (particularly in regard to domestic violence) and the District Attorney’s Office.  There is an active chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) that provides a number of services including a 24-hour crisis phone line, resources on grief and recovery, and guidance through the court processes.  Trauma Intervention Programmes (TIP) is a non-profit, volunteer organization of specially trained citizen volunteers who provide immediate emotional and practical support to victims and their families in the first few hours following a tragedy.  The Episcopal Community Services network offers counselling to crime victims, a 24 hour crisis hotline, and in-depth rehabilitation and treatment services for victims of domestic violence.