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The annual number of murders in Waco also increased from 9 in 2019, to 13 in 2020, to 17 in 2021, based on the monthly reports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Earlier this year, Waco police reported they investigated 17 homicides, a broader category than murder, in both 2020 and 2021. Police Chief Sheryl Victorian said in January that Waco had not seen more than 17 homicides in a year since 1994, when the city had 25. It saw a high of 29 homicides in 1989 and again in 1993, and matched the 17 of the past two years in 2004.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Cyclical crime rates<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
Connolly said Friday that violent crime rates nationwide had been trending downward or holding steady over the last eight years. He said overall crime began to drop in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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However he said that before this positive trend, in the mid- to late-1980s, crime began trending upward and continued to increase nationwide for about six years. Then it started falling again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/p>\nConnolly<\/p>\n
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He said the overall recent increase in crime and violent crime rates might just be cyclical. He also said he has read research that shows a relationship between the effects of the pandemic and increasing domestic violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat\u2019s driving it is always a question,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cThe crime surge that started in the 1980s, people (criminologists) in 2022 are still trying to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Except for increasing domestic violence, which is linked to the lockdowns of the pandemic, it is too early to say whether the new trend is caused by the pandemic or is just cyclical, Connolly said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Katie Chadwell, a licensed professional counselor with Klaras Center for Families in Waco, said Friday she thinks the emotional stress, anxiety and isolation of the pandemic may well contribute to teenagers and youths acting out violently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Chadwell said the pandemic \u201chas increased depression and anxiety, making young people more susceptible to peer pressure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen young people are already sad and anxious, if they come into contact with a group that offers acceptance if they rob someone or beat someone up, they may decide to do that to gain acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/p>\nChadwell<\/p>\n
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She said that among the young people she counsels, and widespread in Waco, generational trauma makes many predisposed to violent and aggressive acting out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cGrandparents passed it on to parents. And if they grew up seeing dad hit mom or parents hit their siblings, they\u2019re (teenagers are) already more likely to use violence in an attempt to deal with problems,\u201d Chadwell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Youth and teenagers are also already craving peer acceptance, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe need for social acceptance and craving peer acceptance is developmentally appropriate for youth and teenagers,\u201d Chadwell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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When schools were closed for so long during the pandemic, youth lost that peer affirmation, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWith that loss of peer affirmation and acceptance, many teens and young people lost their sense of worth and identity,\u201d Chadwell said. \u201cTo rebuild that identity and sense of self-worth, they make choices that normally they wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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She said many teens may find themselves vulnerable to negative peer pressure from loosely organized groups of youth who can show them acceptance for carrying out acts of violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Finding a nonviolent way<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
McLennan County Precinct 2 Commissioner Pat Chisolm-Miller and Victorian, the Waco police chief, have both recently decried the rising violence among young people. They also called for parents to be more involved and more constructively involved in the lives of their children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cGet in their business. Your children\u2019s business is your business,\u201d Miller said during a \u201cplea for peace\u201d event March 18 with family members of homicide victims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Parents should teach their children ways of solving problems without violence, Victorian said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cParents and family members should provide young men with other options than fists and guns,\u201d the chief said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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She said people used to say \u201cIt takes a village to raise a child,\u201d when she was younger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe police department can work with the community on prevention and intervention, but when young men and women put guns in their hands they may become a threat,\u201d Victorian said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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All of the high schools in the Waco Police Department\u2019s jurisdiction have been affected by violence, Victorian said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhether it\u2019s Waco, University or La Vega High School, these kids have known each other for years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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If young people are a threat, then Victorian\u2019s police officers and detectives will turn to apprehension, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cTeach them to understand anger and help them learn to address situations without violence,\u201d Victorian said. \u201cParents and family members must teach our young men and women better ways of dealing with animosity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Chadwell said he agrees with that last idea, but it may be hard with generational trauma.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cCaregivers may find it hard to lead the children (and teenagers) away from violence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Counseling can help everyone, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf parents and caregivers can own their own mistakes, they may open up pathways of communication with their children and lead their children to making better decisions,\u201d Chadwell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Parents and caregivers can reach out to schools and churches, or Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, with which the Klaras Center is affiliated, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Chadwell said parents and caregivers can seek out mentors for themselves and their teenagers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cFind help for the whole family. Learn how to have open conversations and encourage open communication,\u201d Chadwell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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She said parents should help youth out of danger without fear of being in trouble.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cTell your teenagers, \u2018If you\u2019re in too deep, I\u2019m here to help. I will get you safe and then, after you\u2019re safe, there may be consequences later,\u2019\u201d Chadwell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Connolly also has advice for parents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cBe mindful of where your kids are, late at night and after school,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cTell them that if they see anyone holding or carrying a weapon, report it to the authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Both the chief and Connolly said mentors should teach young people not to escalate violence and to let authorities get justice for them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Victorian also said she encourages young people to be forthcoming to police with reports of violence and violent intent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cBe vigilant,\u201d Connolly said he would advise parents. \u201cTalk to children when they come home. If they feel off or uneasy, ask them what\u2019s going on, and report as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Teach them right and wrong, of course, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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He also said parents and caregivers should \u201cteach consequences of justice system. Let children know, \u2018It\u2019s not just that my parents could get mad, there are also consequences in the juvenile justice system and the criminal justice system that could alter their lives.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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And he recommends that parents should find activities for their children after school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSports are great, but other activities are good, too,\u201d Connolly said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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