With the Burien City Council examining whether the city should annex White Center and the homicide of a young woman in the area last week questions have been raised about crime trends in the area.

The King County Sheriff’s Office has released statistics comparing January-July 2010 with January-July 2011. The sheriff’s office reports overall dispatched calls for service are up by nearly 24 percent.

The most frequent calls include public drunkenness, area checks, trespass, disturbances (including noise and fights), family disturbances and suspicious circumstances. The category that increased noticeably- is drunkenness – up to 142 in 2011 from 85 in 2010.

At a Burien City Council meeting on Aug. 22 a KCSO spokesman noted that part of the 24 percent jump can be attributed to business owners and community members calling the police more often, so it is difficult to discern whether that increase pertains to a jump in crime or a jump in people calling 911 over suspicious activity.

Violent crimes, including robberies and aggravated assaults are up slightly this year compared to last year, according to the report. There was one homicide last year in May and now one this year.

Ironically, it was at the same intersection, the sheriff’s office noted. But deputies say there is no connection between the two homicides and the intersection or area itself.

The sheriff’s office added that it continues to work with the citizens and business owners of White Center to improve public safety.