Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
There is good news in the most recent batch of area crime numbers, according to local law enforcement agencies, even if those numbers come with a few caveats and cautions.
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department’s annual report for 2014 — which includes the most recent numbers compiled by the department — shows a sharp drop in some crimes over the past couple of years.
The department logged 201 burglary cases in 2012, but that number fell dramatically in 2013 to 116 and further in 2014 to 102.
Thefts also receded, from 291 in 2012 to 205 in 2013 and to 184 last year.
Why that might be is anyone’s guess, Chief Deputy John Gutho said.
“One can only go off assumptions,” Gutho said. “It may be home and business owners doing a better job of securing their buildings and being vigilant.”
Detective Sgt. Gordon Kowaleski of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department said he wouldn’t read too much into the numbers, noting that crime statistics fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons.
“You could have some guys who do over 100 burglaries. Then they’re caught and the numbers drop,” Kowaleski said.
Shawano County authorities made 23 arrests for burglary in 2013 and 15 arrests in 2014.
Arrest records also show drug violations down, with 113 people arrested in 2013 for various drug-related crimes and 91 arrested in 2014.
The county’s numbers for offenses of driving under the influence were also down, going from 242 arrests in 2013 to 172 arrests in 2014.
Gutho said that decrease is likely due to people becoming more aware of the dangers of drunken driving, choosing to have designated drivers or some other alternative to getting behind the wheel when they’ve been drinking.
He said it wouldn’t seem to be because of additional patrol.
“We’ve got the same amount of guys on the road,” he said.
However, Gutho said, while there have been fewer arrests for operating while intoxicated, those who are being arrested are more likely to have multiple previous convictions from drunken driving.
Other statistics in the annual report assaults dropping from 96 in 2012 to 66 in 2013 and 64 in 2014. Motor vehicle thefts dropped from 32 in 2012 to 21 in 2013 and to 17 in 2014.
Sexual assaults, which rose slightly in 2013, dropped to 22 last year.
Meanwhile, Shawano police are crediting community outreach for improvement in the city’s crime statistics.
“I’m proud to say that our efforts may be paying off, slowly but surely,” Police Chief Mark Kohl said. “Some of the numbers are gratifying.”
Since Kohl’s arrival at the Shawano Police Department in May 2014, the department has put a greater emphasis on quality of life issues, such as zoning code violations, and has worked to get the community more involved.
“We need the community’s help as much as they need ours,” Kohl said.
Some of the public outreach efforts have included Coffee With a Cop, the citizen police academy, neighborhood watch programs, and seminars for landlords aimed at explaining tenant rights and what can be done to keep properties crime-free.
The sheriff’s department has launched similar efforts recently, including a citizen academy of its own and a higher profile Facebook presence keeping the community informed of ongoing issues.
Police Department crime statistics, which are updated monthly, show a year-over-year increase in some types of calls, which, Kohl said, is actually a positive thing.
Calls about suspicious behavior jumped 26 percent in the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, from 154 calls to 195.
Kohl said that’s due partly to more people being vigilant and willing to call police about what they see.
Officers on patrol are also making more curfew stops and checking buildings and doors during their night shifts, which has also pushed the suspicious incident numbers up.
Kohl said public involvement is also partly behind a 13 percent increase in disturbance calls.
“That’s neighbors knowing their neighbors,” he said. “We encourage them to call and report those activities.”
Police responded to 187 disturbance calls in the first six months of this year compared to 165 in the first six months of 2014.
The city has also seen a 24 percent increase in drug cases, rising from 45 in the first six months of 2014 to 53 during the same period this year.
“Our drug enforcement has increased,” Kohl said.
He credited the mayor and Common Council with their willingness to put additional money into drug investigations.
Most of the city’s property crimes, Kohl said, can be traced to drug problems.
“We know there’s a direct relationship to drugs,” he said. “They will steal to pawn or sell in exchange for drugs. In order to maintain their habit, they will commit other crimes.”
Property thefts, including shoplifting, rose from 121 during the first six months of 2014 to 142 during the same period this year.
Shoplifting saw the largest increase, spiking from 37 incidents to 54. Other property crimes were relatively stable.
Burglaries, meanwhile, dropped from 18 in the first six months of 2014 to 12 during the same period this year.
Two types of property crimes continue to be a particular frustration for the department, according to Kohl, mainly because they are easily preventable.
That would be auto theft and thefts of items from vehicles.
“We still get residents who don’t lock their vehicles, who still leave their keys in their unlocked vehicles,” Kohl said.
There were six auto thefts in the first six months of 2014 and nine during the same period this year.
Thefts from vehicles rose from from three to seven during those time frames, but Kohl said the numbers have been on the increase recently.
“If people would lock their vehicle and take their keys, we would prevent all those thefts,” he said. “It would be a crime we could basically eliminate.”