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From The Chief's Desk:
As I review the statistics from 2005, there are several significant issues to
address. The first is that crime was down 23.45 % as compared to 2004. The men
and women of this department continue to fight crime in an efficient, educated,
and professional manner. This includes fighting crime where it is occurring,
following crime trends and intercepting the trends before they become a problem.
We are also working with our citizens and business partners to create a safe
climate throughout
our township.
One striking issue that we have noticed over the past year is the need for
citizens to be more crime-prevention oriented when it relates to homes and
vehicles. On many occasions in 2005 we investigated both burglaries and thefts
from vehicles in which doors were left unlocked. All of us must prevent crime at
its origin by locking our doors and windows. This is our first defense.
You may call our Police Department at 652-8265 for Crime Prevention suggestions.
We will also assign an officer to conduct a Crime Prevention Survey at your home
at your request. To provide a real
picture of the success of our officers, and our direct approach to crime
fighting, here is a comparison with just five years ago:
2001 2005
Part I Crimes
756 565
Part II Crimes 2331
1224
Overall Crime
3087 1789
This is a 42.1 % reduction in crime over a five year period. Some of the parts
of our formula for success include permanent beat assignments, assignment of Red
Zone areas where crime is occurring, increased enforcement of traffic violations
(as well as all quality of life violations), education of our citizens, and
working in cooperation with our citizens and business leaders. I want to commend
our citizens for being the eyes and ears of this Police Department. The role you
have played in this crime reduction is critical. We thank you and honor you for
your service to this community.
We
presently have a compliment of forty (40) sworn officers. One officer, Patrolman
Andrew Somma, has been deployed with the U.S. Navy reserve to the Iraqi Theater
of Operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We hope to have Officer
Somma return to us this
summer.
Some other significant statistics from 2005 include the following:
Traffic citations issued – 3,826
Motor vehicle accidents – 777
Incidents reported
– 19,444
Miles patrolled
–
291,802
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