Everett Police Create Burglary Reduction Team in Response to Rising Burglary Rates

The Everett Police Department today announced the formation of a special squad of officers to focus on reducing burglary rates across Everett. According to the City of Everett’s crime mapping data, thru September of this year there have been 220 commercial burglaries and 627 residential/other burglaries within the city of Everett’s 19 neighborhoods. Thru September of 2011 there were 157 commercial burglaries and 673 residential/other burglaries. That translates to a 40% increase in commercial burglaries and a 7% reduction in residential/other burglaries thru September of this year as compared to 2011.

It should be noted that the first thing police agencies and the FBI say about crime statistics is that the data can vary greatly and is subject to interpretation. Before you can access the City of Everett’s neighborhood crime mapping data you have to agree that you understand it may not be accurate.

With that being said, here is the press release from Everett Police Community Information officer Aaron Snell on the formation of the Burglary Reduction Team…

The Everett Police Department has formed a specialized team to combat burglaries and property crime in Everett.

Since late 2011, the Everett Police Department has focused on reducing citywide burglary rates. The effort started when crime analysis indicating burglary rates, both residential and commercial, were on the rise in Everett and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Initially, information was gathered for statistical analysis to identify crime trends based upon field reports. The effort collected a vast quantity of information and a newly formed Burglary Reduction Team (BRT) emerged to focus on trends, known locations and suspects.

The BRT is comprised of two patrol officers and two experienced Property Crimes detectives who work together to connect the elements of proactive field work with traditional investigative techniques. The group works directly with crime analysis, patrol officers and victims to identify suspects and target areas experiencing high burglary and property crime rates. The BRT formally started working on September 11, 2012. In its first month, the team made 102 arrests, recovered six stolen firearms, seized $20,000 in cash while recovering over $17,000 in personal property. The BRT also seized a large quantity of illegal street drugs.

Operations Division Deputy Chief Templeman said, “This dynamic group has had an immediate and positive impact within the Everett community and has worked hard to identify and arrest numerous suspects associated with burglaries and property crimes.” He also recognizes the importance of comprehensive data collection and the crime analysis process, and the role it plays in directing police efforts. He believes that the deployment of police resources driven by crime analysis is an effective policing strategy. While the initial arrest and burglary data appear to support the overall efforts of the BRT, Templeman cautions that the better measure of success will be the long-term impact this effort has on overall crime and burglary rates in Everett.

While the BRT has been very successful, the Everett Police patrol division has also played a key role in the department’s overall burglary reduction effort, arresting 30 burglars since August 27th. The 30 arrests made by patrol were directly related to burglary investigations, whereas the BRT arrests include suspects associated with not only burglaries, but also property crimes and drugs.

Everett Police say one of the best ways to reduce burglaries is to prevent them and they’ve developed a list of ways to discourage burglars.