Jim Kelley recently checked in with Lt. Schiavulli of our District 8 Community Police Station for recent crime trends and precautions we should take.
Despite a recent uptick in larcenies from motor vehicles, so far 2006 compares favorably to 2005. For the year through November 5, violent crime is down 51%, property crime is down 43% and other crime is down 14.5% compared to January through October of last year.
Four separate and highly visible break-ins at the Nextel store on Hope Street had neighbors worrying about a crime spree. The store was targeted for its supply of cell phones and the fact that its alarm was not working well contributed to the repeated break-ins. The police tell Jim noticeably suspicious activity prior to one of the break-ins has led to an arrest in the case. The police ask merchants to please ensure that their alarm systems are up-to-date and working.
The Lt Shiavulli. encourages people to report suspicious activity around houses or businesses to 272-1111. They would much rather hear about a possible problem before it happens than investigate it after it does.
We can expect larceny from motor vehicles and breaking-and-entering incidents to rise as the holidays approach. Lt. Schiavulli urges people to get to know their neighbors and to help watch each other’s homes and cars.
Despite prior police warnings, people continue to leave items in their cars in plain view, leading to the loss of pocketbooks, laptops and Ipods in the past month.
Crime Data (for 28 days from October 9-November 5)
District 8 – Section 3 only (roughly the Summit area)
Robbery with a firearm (at the Shell Gas Station on North Main Street): 1
Breaking and entering of homes and businesses : 6.
Motor vehicle thefts: 3
Larceny from a vehicle: 5
Other larcenies: 3
Vandalism: 4
District 8 – Sections 1 and 2 (the rest of the the district)
Robberies: 1.
Aggravated assault: 1
Breaking and entering: 5
Motor vehicle thefts: 3
Larceny from vehicle: 10
Other larcenies: 8
Simple assaults: 5
Vandalism: 10
Liquor law violation: 1
1 Comment
HOWIE GLADSTONE · November 12, 2006 at 12:50 am
I am in favor of camers monitoring the activities on the Hope Street Business District. As it is not only vital to the establishment owners, but also to we residents of the area.
A neighborhood crime watch can give us back that ‘peace of mind’ we once had. A neighborhhod town meeting thru the SNA might serve to be effective.
Perhaps it is time we become more pro-active. It is never too late.
Howie
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