Burglary reduction is objective for new year

Reports of serious crime in Elgin dropped by more than 7 percent in 2011 – the single, largest decline seen in the city in the past five years.

“We are mirroring national trends,” said Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda. “But in Elgin, serious crime is the lowest it’s been in more than 40 years.”
Serious crimes include homicide, robbery, burglary and assault. In 2011, 2,372 serious crimes were reported with 2,557 reported in 2010.
“The Elgin Police Department is committed to providing our residents with a safe community and has worked very hard over the years to apply a community-policing philosophy to help reduce serious crime,” said Swoboda. “That philosophy has also helped us reduce overall crime throughout the city.”
In 2011, total crime in Elgin was down by nearly 16%. And while that is good news, Swoboda also recognizes that Elgin saw some truly tragic crimes last year.
‘While statistics may show a reduction, for every crime committed, there is a victim,” said Swoboda. “There’s a lot of work that must be done, and the community’s involvement is key in helping police.”
The chief said he’d like all residents witnessing suspicious activity to report it so police can respond.
“That’s especially needed as we work to reduce city-wide burglaries,” said Swoboda.
Burglaries in Elgin are up by 31% over last year and Swoboda is finalizing a strategy to combat the crime.
“Our goal for 2012 is burglary reduction,” said Swoboda. “We’ve already made some key arrests that will have an impact and we’ll be finalizing a plan over the next few days to help us meet that goal.”

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Residents using cellular phones or VoIP phones as their primary number or individuals with unlisted phone numbers are particularly encouraged to register since those numbers are not in any public database. Additionally, businesses and individuals who have moved within the past year should also register. Persons with landlines and published telephone numbers are already listed in the system, however, to receive an email or message on a cell phone, registration is needed.
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