Office Hours, Help Stop Crime

Hi Everyone.

Office Hours

Join me tomorrow morning, Friday, July 2, from 8am to 10am, for office hours. This is a great opportunity for you to ask questions and share your concerns.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/j/98540172739?pwd=TlVxWnJTUXFWNUVNczQxeEtmdE02dz09

Meeting ID: 985 4017 2739
Passcode: 186259

Help Stop Crime

The following is an update from Midtown District Captain Jason Freedman on how to prevent property crime:

As we move through the summer, and in line with our Midtown Strategic Plan, we are paying particular attention to crime trends and data--where, when, how, and (when possible) who are committing the crimes.  While we have enjoyed substantial reductions in two of our three property crime priorities (burglary and theft from auto), stolen autos have remained steady or increased slightly.  This is particularly concerning for two reasons:  first, beyond the immediate impact on the victim, stolen cars can and are involved in other crimes including violent crime (such as shots fired); and they can and have been involved in dangerous driving and crashes.  Most stolen autos can be prevented with some simple and common-sense actions:

                LOCK YOUR CAR

                DON'T LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN YOUR CAR OR YOUR UNOCCUPIED CAR RUNNING

                KEEP YOUR CAR KEYS IN A SECURE PLACE (KEEP YOUR HOME LOCKED UP TOO)

Also, If you see suspicious behavior in your neighborhood--people wandering through yards in the middle of the night, or trying door handles on parked cars--please call us  (non-emergency 255-2345)!  Your call doesn't predetermine an outcome, but it gives us an opportunity to prevent a crime, or gather information that may lead to an arrest.

There have also been a few burglaries to homes that are unoccupied (i.e. someone on extended vacation or travel).  In these cases, doors were locked but burglars used rocks to break glass and make entry.  There are some steps you can take to harden your homes when you are gone:

Letting a neighbor know you are going to be gone for a while and ask them to keep an eye out

Putting inside and outside lights on a timer

Making sure mail, newspapers, and packages are either stopped or collected by a friend or neighbor

Neighbors report any suspicious activity

Notifying PD and requesting a vacation watch

Having cameras and/or an alarm is also an option

Finally, I continue to be grateful for the amount of proactive effort my Midtown officers are making.  Between June 7th and June 20th, Midtown personnel dedicated over 270 hours (spread out on almost 300 efforts) between our crime, traffic, and community engagement priorities.  In my next update (post July 4th) I'll provide a bit more detail of our efforts.

Let me add that I fully support this common sense approach. The ongoing work of addressing root causes remains vitally important. In the meantime, let's do all we can to prevent these crimes of opportunity from occurring in the first place.

Take care and have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Tag