It'll take all our efforts to keep reducing crime

The good news is that Yakima's overall crime rate for 2007 dipped to the lowest level since the modern records have been kept, dating back to the late 1970s.

The bad news is that we still have too much crime and we don't care at all for the fact that we're still in the Top 10 nationwide when it comes to auto theft. Besides that, arson here increased by 23 percent last year and aggravated assaults were up 56 percent.

But nobody's perfect. A 19 percent drop in property crimes helped paint the rosier picture of an overall crime rate that totaled 76.3 per 1,000 residents.

Actually, car thefts were also down by 16 percent in the state report compiled by Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

The area's dubious national ranking comes from a study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau and includes all of Yakima County. Yakima made the Top 10 list for the first time in 2005, then edged up to No. 9 in 2006. But the actual number of thefts has declined by slightly more than 300 over the three years -- from 2,212 vehicles stolen in 2005 to 1,898 in 2007.

So crime's still around, but we still take the occasion of the state report to recognize the good law enforcement efforts of both the city and county. We also acknowledge the invaluable support of groups such as the Citizens for Safe Yakima Valley Communities and block watch efforts that provide extra eyes and ears for police officers.

Still, much remains to be done. We don't want to make any Top 10 list, and that's going to take even greater citizen/government cooperation and most likely more money from the local, state and federal levels.

But let's keep in mind that any decrease in crime carries with it a corresponding increase in the community's quality of life. That's a goal worth continuing to pursue with the utmost urgency.