CARTHAGE, Mo. —
The number of burglaries reported in Carthage hit a 20-year low in 2012, according to data tracked by the Carthage Police Department.
The burglary rate is among the statistics cited in the department’s annual report released last week. Police Chief Greg Dagnan said reducing burglaries was a department goal for the year.
The department recorded 64 burglaries for the year, compared with 88 in 2011 and 100 in 2008. Dagnan praised the patrol division for efforts that helped prevent break-ins and the detective division for clearing 16 of the cases.
The report also credited security checks done each night at Carthage schools and businesses. More than 13,000 checks were done in 2012, and unlocked doors were found at 179 businesses. Dagnan said that activity was among those boosting the department’s calls for service, which topped 34,000 in 2012, compared with just over 19,000 four years earlier.
Carthage patrols always have included security checks, Dagnan said, but officers were able to do them more consistently in the past year. He said areas where break-ins had taken place also were the focus of monthly crime control meetings in the department. Break-ins also dropped, he said, in areas where Carthage had “team policing” programs that focus more closely on different neighborhoods.
Part 1 crimes, those classified as the most serious offenses, totaled 726 in 2012, up from 665 a year earlier. The department’s detective division solved 56 percent of the Part 1 crimes reported.
There were 208 traffic accidents in the city during the year, up from 199 in 2011. The number of traffic citations written totaled 4,571, compared with 3,972 a year ago.
Other statistics cited, with 2011 numbers in parentheses:
• Arrests, 5,247 (4,445).
• Calls for service, 34,086 (32,411).
• People jailed, 600 (604).
• Assaults, 226 (257).
• Robberies, 3 (7).
• Larcenies, 369 (260).
• Auto thefts, 19 (16).
• Forcible rapes, 2 (5).
• Murders, 1 (0).
Community programs
The report also cited community programs conducted by police, including the Citizens Police Academy, the Christmas party for underprivileged children and community policing projects.
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Carthage annual police report notes fewer burglaries in 2012
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