Police Statistics—

Traffic Enforcement Skyrockets; Thefts Sharply Up

By Andrew Gorosko

Town police statistics for 2008 indicate a marked increase in the number of traffic violations issued by police, as well as a major increase in the number of thefts reported in town.

According to statistics tabulated by the police department, during 2008, town police issued 3,263 motor vehicle violations, including infractions and summonses, and also handed out 3,024 written warnings, representing a total of 6,287 enforcement actions for traffic violations. The statistics do not include verbal warnings.

The 6,287 traffic enforcement actions recorded during 2008 represent an increase of 2,218 such actions compared to 2007, when police issued 4,069 enforcement actions. In 2007, police issued 2,194 motor vehicle violations, including infractions and summonses, and also handed out 1,875 written warnings.

The statistics reflect an almost 55 percent increase in police traffic enforcement actions in 2008, compared to 2007.

In 2008, town police made 87 arrests of motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, compared to 82 such arrests in 2007, reflecting a six percent increase in such cases.

During the past decade, DUI enforcement hit a peak in 2006, when police pressed 102 such charges. The low point in DUI enforcement came in 2004, when 58 such charges were lodged.

The major increase in traffic enforcement actions stems from the police department’s broad initiative to crack down on motor vehicle violations in response to continuing complaints from residents that traffic laws need to be more strictly enforced. Also, in 2008 the police formed a new two-officer traffic enforcement unit intended to more closely control local traffic flow.

Notable among the police statistics is a major increase in the number of larcenies reported locally during 2008.

In 2008, police received complaints on 235 thefts having been committed locally, compared to 158 such complaints received in 2007. That increase of 77 thefts represents an almost 49 percent hike in the number of reported larcenies in 2008, compared to 2007.

In 2008, police solved 24 of the 235 larcenies which were reported, according to the statistics.

The big increase in reported larcenies stems largely from a rash of thefts from vehicles that hit the town, and especially the Sandy Hook section, from February to September. Police received approximately 65 complaints about such crimes involving thefts from vehicles.

In early December, police arrested two people on criminal charges in connection with the string of thefts from vehicles. Those arrests brought to four the number of people who had been charged in the thefts, most of which involved the thieves simply opening unlocked vehicles parked near homes during the nighttime and stealing small valuable items, such as cash, credit cards, digital music players, automotive navigation systems, satellite radios, cameras, cellphones, compact discs, audio equipment, and laptop computers.

The rash of thefts from vehicles had become so widespread that police in August used the town’s Code Red system to warn all residents about the problem. The warning system placed automated telephone calls to residents to provide information on crime prevention.

Among other crime statistics for 2008, there were 41 reported burglaries, compared to 34 burglaries in 2007, reflecting a more than 20 percent increase in that crime. Police solved six of the 41 burglaries reported in 2008.

Chief Kehoe Responds

Commenting on the 2008 police statistics, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said this week, “As long as we continue to receive the [traffic] complaints we receive, it will be a high priority.”

The police’s recently formed traffic unit gets many calls from residents about traffic problems, he noted. The traffic enforcement unit comprises Officer Steve Ketchum, who rides a police motorcycle when weather permits, and Officer David Kullgren, who drives an unmarked police sedan designed for traffic enforcement.

“I don’t want to say it’s enforcement, enforcement, enforcement,” Chief Kehoe said, adding that the key to better traffic control is to convince the public that “voluntary compliance” with traffic laws is necessary.

Toward that end, police seek to create a sense of “omnipresence” in motorists’ minds about the prospect of police apprehending traffic law violators, he said.

Of the major hike in thefts, Chief Kehoe said the increase in reported larcenies from 158 cases in 2007 to 235 cases in 2008 is largely due to the rash of thefts from vehicles which occurred from February to September. Also, the weakened economy probably is a factor in the increased thefts, he said.

The number of larcenies which occur from year to year varies widely, based on whether those thefts were simply random criminal acts or the thefts represent methodical actions by a group of people.

During the past decade, the high point for larceny came in 2003 with 237 reported thefts. During that period, the low point was in 2001 with 141 reported larcenies.

In 2008, police received reports of eight motor vehicle thefts in town, compared to four such cases in 2007.

The four cases of motor vehicle theft in 2007 were the low point of that crime during the past decade, in comparison to 1999 when a high of 18 such crimes were reported.

Among other crimes listed in the police statistics, there was one reported rape in 2008, compared to four such crimes in 2007. Also, police report one robbery in 2008, compared to no robberies in 2007.

In 2008, police listed no aggravated assaults, in comparison to four such crimes in 2007. During the past decade, the highest number of aggravated assaults, or serious assaults, came in 2004, when ten such crimes were reported.

Also, during 2008 police investigated one case of arson.

During 2008, police received 20,299 calls for service from the public, reflecting a more than eight percent increase in that category compared to 2007.

Chief Kehoe noted that the increased use of cellphones by the public has resulted in more calls for service being made to police. Before cellphones were in wide use, it was relatively harder to place a call to police for service, he noted.

Police receive more calls than ever concerning motor vehicle violations, he said.

In 2008, police responded to 1,793 alarms of various types, compared to 1,883 such alarms in 2007. That reflects a 4.7 percent decrease in that activity. In each of those two years, only five of those alarms involved situations in which the alarms stemmed from actual emergencies.

Chief Kehoe noted that the town approved a strengthened ordinance last year which seeks to deter false alarms.