EARLIER: Crime declines in Dayton, despite surge in fatal drug overdoses
The numbers led some to say crime is down because the drug addicts who break the law are dying from opiate use.
“Can’t commit crime if you’re dead from heroin,” wrote one Facebook user.
Biehl called it naive to link crime rates and fatal overdoses without any specific evidence.
RELATED: Montgomery County surpasses 2016 fatal overdose total before June
Biehl said no research suggests the two trends are connected.
“It’s not that these things aren’t worth exploring, but the answers don’t come easy,” he said.
The chief acknowledged some drug users commit property crimes. They don’t, however, tend to commit violent crimes, and violent crime is down significantly in the city, statistics show.
MORE: Newspaper analysis: Majority of local fatal ODs had records
People wrongly assume that most or all drug addicts pay for their illegal habits by committing other crimes, when research shows that three-fourths of drug addicts and alcoholics have jobs, said Andrea Hoff, director of prevention and early intervention with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services of Montgomery County.
“There really is a difference between someone who is addicted to drugs and someone who has criminal thinking,” she said.
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