Almost a year ago, Jay Williamson opened an urban clothing store, first picking a spot that has a reputation of being a high-crime and drug-infested neighborhood in South Rocky Mount.

To offer customers a more inviting locale in which to shop, he moved Head 2 Toe from Starling Way to Falls Road.

Telegram photo / Jason Ivester (ENLARGE)

The remaining glass door at Head 2 Toe, located on Falls Road, has been taped to hold the broken glass together. The business has been broken into multiple times in its short stint.

Since that move five months ago, Head 2 Toe has been burglarized five times.

"When I was on Starling Way, I had a glass front, no bars on the windows, and I had no break-ins," Williamson said.

Williamson probably isn't the only business owner who's made a decision to locate based on crime – or the perception of crime.

Mayor Fred Turnage said it's possible that some businesses have declined to come to this area based on statistics that indicate Rocky Mount's crime rate is higher than both the state and national average.

"There probably have been some, particularly companies that have a lot of communities on their radar," Turnage said. "They have a long list of criteria, and it's possible they've eliminated a city without us even knowing it."

Turnage is quick to point out, though, that he's not aware of any business or industry that declined to move to the Twin Counties based on Rocky Mount's crime rate.

According to 2005 figures from the State Bureau of Investigation, Rocky Mount's crimes per 1,000 people is 96.4, the second-highest in North Carolina. Gastonia has the highest crime rate per 1,000 people at 101.2.

Raleigh and Cary had the lowest in the state, 46 and 21, respectively.

Williamson said he was surprised to learn how the city stacked up against larger communities like Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham.

"I've seen a whole lot worse," he said. "I've lived in (Newark) New Jersey.

"It's not what it could be (in Rocky Mount). It's not as bad as some people make it out to be."

Actually, according to New Jersey crime figures, Newark's crime rate per 1,000 people is 60, far less than Rocky Mount's.

But Web sites that offer snapshots of cities that include income, quality of life, housing and education are sometimes misleading, Turnage said.

"It's easy to argue with numbers, especially by looking at the reporting process," the mayor said. "We'd ask people to look at more than just an Internet Web site; get more details instead of looking at cold figures.

"Those who are serious about coming here, we would want to meet with them so they could get more details."

Rocky Mount police Chief John Manley said the numbers might be skewed because every city might not report crime to the SBI the same way.

"We report everything," Manley said. "Yes, they report murders, and they report rapes just like we do. But larcenies, those are the ones that can change crime rates."

In 2005, 3,270 larcenies were reported in Rocky Mount. Durham, with a population almost four times higher than Rocky Mount, reported 7,944 larcenies last year.

Both Manley and Turnage said much of Rocky Mount's crime is generated by low socioeconomic neighborhoods and a poor economy in the area.

U.S. Census figures show that only one city in the state has a higher percentage of families living below poverty level – Greenville.

"A large proportion of Rocky Mount is economically deprived, and that tends to support crime," Manley said.

Dilapidated buildings, gang graffiti and dirty neighborhoods affect crime rates, he added. But with an appearance of vibrancy and life, Manley said, crime will decrease.

"If you have boarded-up buildings and graffiti, that tends to generate criminal activity," the chief said. "Like the Tip Top Bakery, that thing should have been gone a hundred years ago.

"We've done a good job in the past few years of mobilizing the community to take more responsibility for their community, like demolishing vacant buildings. A lot is being done to curtail crime, like the graffiti ordinance that is before the City Council."

Turnage said the city's economic downturn started seven years ago when Hurricane Floyd devastated Eastern North Carolina, with flooding that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Rocky Mount.

"You do see a correlation between an economic downturn and crime and poverty and crime," Turnage said. "Since 1999, our economy has been way down.

"But it's turning back around, and I think we reached that point in mid-2005."

Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Eddie Baysden cited the announcement of 3,000 new jobs in the Twin Counties in 2005 as evidence of that economic recovery.

"There's a lot of steel coming up out of the ground," he said.

Part of The Chamber's mission is to promote the area for businesses contemplating moving to the Twin Counties, Baysden said. In doing so, he said, The Chamber has to battle image and quality of life issues that arise.

And with the instant information age of the Internet, the war against negative publicity is an issue, he said.

"This is not just a Rocky Mount story, though," Baysden said. "It's systemic across the country.

"I'm not trying to minimize crime, but in my professional opinion, it is not a deterrent to the recruitment of business (in Rocky Mount)."

Williamson said his move to Falls Road hasn't generated the business he thought it would. Broken glass and boarded-up windows aren't the best way to draw customers, he said.

"They see that, and it puts a lot of distrust and doubt," Williamson said. "I wanted to be in a location where all my customers, regardless of race, would feel comfortable coming.

"But they really let me have it (with the break-ins)."

Sometimes when crime runs rampant, fingers are pointed at police when the blame game starts. But Williamson has nothing but praise for the police.

He points his finger at others for any crime problem – or the appearance of any crime problem.

"We have a good police department here, but there needs to be more individual and public support," Williamson said. "Police can't be everywhere at once – it's a community thing."

Manley agreed, saying community policing is the best way to fight crime, joining people from the public, private sector and government in an effort to generate change in all aspects of life. In turn, when quality of life improves, crime will decrease, he said.

"You can be as effective as you want as a law enforcement officer, but you can't address all the issues that affect crime (as a police officer)," Manley said.

Turnage said he believes that a year from now, we'll be looking at far different numbers for 2006.

"Nationwide, rising crime is a challenge for all communities," the mayor said. "But the efforts of our police department to better connect with the community are paying off.

"It's a challenge, no question about it. But with the improving economy and more and better police resources, you'll see an improvement next year."