Whatcom County saw a significant decrease in property crime and a slight increase in violent crime in 2007, according to recently released statistics.

Countywide, there were 8,221 property crimes — burglary, theft, arson and auto theft — reported by local law enforcement agencies last year. That’s a 7.4 percent decrease from 2006, according to the numbers submitted to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Bellingham Police Department and Ferndale Police Department all saw significant dips in their property crime numbers.

Police attribute the drop to arrests of career criminals who had been making their living through burglaries and vehicle prowls.

“When I look over four or five years, am I really seeing trends or an anomaly caused by one or two people?” Everson Police Chief Erik Ramstead said.

Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office crime analyst Spencer Kope said it’s not uncommon for a single person to be responsible for 20 or 30 property crimes, usually to finance an addiction to drugs such as methamphetamine or heroin.

“I’ve done studies looking at all the individuals arrested for burglary over a certain period of time,” Kope said. “In almost every case there is a documented link to drugs — whether it is a statement from family in court that they were addicted to heroin … or a prior arrest for drug possession.”

Though a statewide crackdown on access to the chemicals used to produce meth has led to far fewer labs in the area, the drug is still readily available and the cause of countless property crimes, Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said. Meth is now being imported north from Mexico along with cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

Elfo said the department’s resident deputy program, started two years ago in the Kendall area, has led to a significant drop in burglaries there— from 84 in 2006 to 58 in 2007. That’s also down from a peak of more than 160 in the mid-’90s.

The dip in property crimes was not across the board: Some of the smaller agencies in the county, including Lynden, Everson and Blaine police departments, saw a small increase.

Lynden Police Chief Jack Foster said the increase was a factor of increased growth, as a small town slowly becomes a city.

“We’re seeing a larger crosssection of the overall community than we used to see,” Foster said. “I don’t know of many communities that didn’t have an increase in crime as they grew.”

Foster said he plans to ask the Lynden City Council for money for more officers, but he emphasized that an engaged public that notifies police when they see suspicious activity is just as important in fighting crime.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a Dutch mother and being concerned about what’s going on in your neighborhood,” Foster said.

Ramstead attributes the property crime spike in his jurisdiction — from 65 in 2005 to 93 in 2006 to 115 last year — to a large increase in the theft of precious metals such as copper. The stats seem to support this theory, since last year saw fewer burglaries and auto thefts, the other major property crimes counted.

Though DUIs are not included in the yearly crime statistics submitted to the state, Elfo’s office has greatly increased arrests for driving under the influence in the last few years — from 162 in 2005 to 227 in 2006 to 262 last year.

Kope estimated the office would make more than 300 DUI arrests this year. Elfo’s deputies have been directed to book all suspected drunk drivers into jail since the end of 2006.

But the property crime drops across the county were coupled with spikes in violent crime, most noticeably for the Sheriff’s Office, which saw a 25 percent or more increase in rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults.

Elfo did not hesitate when asked about the source of this extra crime.

“I think it’s attributable to a growing gang problem,” he said.

Elfo said deputies have seen a rise in gang-related crimes in the eastern portion of the county, including gang graffiti and assaults.

Gangs are the central topic of monthly meetings between Elfo and the heads of the rest of the area’s agencies, as police share information on known gang members.

“What occurs in one jurisdiction is often a predictor of what is going to happen in the other jurisdictions,” Ferndale Police Chief Michael Knapp said. “We’re trying to get in front of (gang activity) before it becomes a bigger problem.”

Kope said gang violence against those not linked to a gang is fairly rare, with most incidents being between rival gang members in disputes over money, women or drugs.

Though his agency saw a 30 percent dip in property crime, Knapp was quick to point out the limits of using statistics to explain a complex and multifaceted problem like crime.

“I try not to gauge whether this department is doing a good job or not on stats,” Knapp said. “I do that everyday by talking to people about how they feel about living in their community.”