Mobile Murders

Two murders in an many days in the city of Mobile have some with the perception that violent crime might be on the rise. A mother of four was shot and killed by her estranged boyfriend on Wednesday. On Thursday a woman was shot as she drove in her car.

Mobile Police Sergeant Jim Rosier tracks crime in the city from the ComStat command center at Police Headquarters. The statistics show that with the last two murders, 20 have been committed so far this year. 34 were recorded in the same period last year according to statistics on the Mobile Police Department website.

While Comstat is able to show where crimes are concentrated, the murders are spread throughout an area between I-65 and downtown Mobile. Police admit crimes like assault and murder are hard to prevent because they are usually crimes of emotion and can happen anywhere. Policing areas of frequent crimes involving robbery or theft, drugs or prostitution for example can be effective in preventing them, especially when the eyes of Community Action Groups get involved.