Lincoln City Named Oregon’s Murder Capital for 2024, Surpassing Portland with Highest Per Capita Rate
The state of Oregon is famous for its beautiful nature, progressive politics, and friendly people. But there is a darker side to the Beaver State that lies beneath its pretty surface. The most current FBI crime statistics say that Lincoln City, an Oregon coastal town with just over 10,000 people, will be the murder capital of the state in 2024.
What Changed in Lincoln City to Make It the Murder Capital
Two murders were reported in Lincoln City in 2024. At first look, this may not seem like a big deal. Taking into account the state’s population, this means that 19.8 murders for every 100,000 people live there.
This is the highest murder rate in Oregon and more than seven times the national average of 2.7 murders for every 100,000 people For some background, Lincoln City had more killings per capita than the state’s largest city, Portland, which had 94 murders and a murder rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people.
It’s still not clear why Lincoln City has such a high death rate, but some possible reasons are:
Lincoln City is a popular tourist spot that gets millions of visitors every year. This may make crime more likely and make it harder to police a community that moves around a lot.
With a rate of 20.7%, it is higher than the state average of 12.4%. Poverty is often linked to social problems like drug abuse, mental sickness, and domestic violence, all of which can lead to murder.
A lower level of education—only 18.6% of people have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 34.2% across the state. A lot of the time, education is tied to jobs, moving up in society, and getting involved in politics, all of which can help reduce crime and violence.
Ways to Lower the Murder Rate in Lincoln City
Even though Lincoln City has a very high death rate, things could get better. The city and its residents can take some steps to make the neighborhood safer and stop more murders from happening:
Money should be put into social services and programs that deal with the problems that lead to crime and violence, like poverty, drug abuse, mental illness, and violence in the home. People who need it can get help, therapy, treatment, and prevention through these programs.
Making it easier for the cops and the community to work together and talk to each other will help build trust, cooperation, and accountability. This means making the police more visible, doing neighborhood policing and outreach, making changes, and giving more training to improve the quality and professionalism of the police force.
Creating a culture of peace and nonviolence by teaching and giving residents, especially young people, the tools they need to settle disagreements peacefully, respect human rights, and value differences. This means making time for talking, negotiating, and making peace, as well as recognizing and rewarding good behavior and accomplishments.
Lincoln City has the ability to be a safe and successful city, but it needs to do something about its murder problem right away. The city and its people can get through this problem and build a better future for themselves and their community if they all work together.