“When you look at overall crime totals, they are less than they were last year,” Chief Erik Niehaus said. “They have been very consistent over the last three years. I’m hoping some of our crime prevention efforts are working. It’s hard to predict the future, but based on what we see, I’m hoping for another consistent year.”
This year, police tracked 321 burglary-related crimes — a 13 percent increase from 2009, which had 284 burglaries. That number increased 10 percent from 2008 with 258 burglaries.
Most people think of burglaries as relating to a home, but Niehaus said statistics also include thefts from sheds, unoccupied buildings, businesses and cars in open garages.
The biggest increases have been from thefts from cars in garages and from sheds.
“Certain times, there’s very little that can be done,” he said.
But, in other cases, people need to be more diligent about protecting their property.
Third-shift patrol officers distributed several hundred preventative control cards, letting people know police spotted a potential danger.
The cards alerted residents if their garage was open or if their car had visible electronics that would be attractive to thieves.
The economy may have played a role in increased thefts, Niehaus said.
Shoplifting increased 32 percent from 2008 to 2009, but only 3 percent in 2010 with 224 cases.
“I think some of our retail outlets are doing a very good job of enforcing the thefts within their stores and trying to prevent it,” he said.
A focus next year, he said, will be on maintaining services and continuing public education.
A park watch program, set for next year, will encourage park users to report suspicious activities. Also, the fourth citizen police academy class will kick off in February.
“The more contacts we can make with the public, the more we can educate them,” he said. “I think we’ll continue to do that, and we’ll continue to get better at it.”
Education in the schools will continue through the school resource officer program.
“We feel strongly by making those contacts with our students early in life to let them know who we are and at least feel a little more comfortable around us,” he said.
Trustees President Lee Wong thanked residents for passing a police levy, ensuring services are maintained.
“Township and community work as a team to ensure (the) township is safe and highly livable,” Wong said. “...We will continue to maintain the high level of police services at a cost effective rate.”
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