Published: August 12, 2008 12:06 pm            

Crime up during Lions Den period, says study

Crime in the Montrose area increased by 60 percent after the Lions Den adult-oriented business opened in early 2003, according to a study published recently by a California university professor.

Richard McCleary, writing for the June issue of Criminal Justice Policy Review, said the crime rate dropped to pre-Lions Den levels after the store was forced to close by court order in the summer of 2005.

McCleary is a professor in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California-Irvine.

In “The Case of Adult Businesses,” McCleary said adult-oriented businesses often create a “hotspot” that draws criminals to the area.

“... the targets found at adult businesses are exceptionally attractive to offenders,” he wrote. “This reflects the presumed characteristics of adult business patrons.

“They are disproportionately male, open to vice overtures and carry cash,” he wrote. “Most important of all, when victimized, they are reluctant to involve the police. From the offender’s perspective, they are ‘perfect’ victims.”

While the store was robbed once during its time on the Interstate 70 frontage road north of Montrose, and there was another robbery in the parking lot during that period, most of the recorded crimes were relatively minor, including theft or destruction of property, “disorder or indecency,” traffic-related incidents and alcohol-drug incidents. He noted the two robberies were the only recorded robberies in the village’s history.

He said the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department recorded 83 crime incidents in or around the village in a 1,642-day period beginning Jan. 1, 2002. That included the 881 days the Lions Den was open. By determining when the incidents occurred, McCleary was able to track crime rates before, during and after the store was in operation, thus coming up with the 60 percent figures.

McCleary said during a telephone interview that he heads a research group at UCI that studies crime hotspots, such as those caused by adult-oriented businesses and taverns, as well as other types of businesses. He said his group is particularly interested in rural hotspots, such as the Lions Den.

“More and more of these businesses are locating near interstate off-ramps in an effort to attract over-the-road truckers,” he said. “We’ve seen a dozen businesses pursue that model.”

McCleary admitted he inaccurately portrayed Montrose as a community where most of the other business and residences were on the north side of I-70. He said the error didn’t really affect the findings, however.

“That’s a minor embarrassment that will be corrected in future treatments of the subject,” he said.

The Web site for Criminal Justice Policy Review is http://cjp.sagepub.com.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.