Burglary spike

From: Jim Whyte
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2015 8:50 AM
Subject: Burglary spike
Commissioners;
We have been experiencing a recent spike in burglary events.  These are mainly occurring in the Gas Light Square area, Southeast SBD in the area of the Laclede, West Pine, Boyle and Newstead and the North SBD area of McPherson and Walton.  I met with Captain Hayden on Friday, March 13th, along with his Burglary Squad consisting of a sergeant and 4 officers.  Determining a pattern has been difficult because of the difference in time when these events have occurred.  However, NSI cameras have captured video of a suspect leaving one of the crime scenes and another suspect walking in the area prior to and after the incident.  The police also have an image of a suspect captured by a private camera.  Captain Hayden is confident that several arrests will be made soon.
The captain mentioned that several of these incidents involved residents leaving their homes and garages unlocked.  We will continue to stress the importance of personal responsibility and educating the public on safeguarding their property.  I have discussed this crime spike with TCF.  We will be adding or adjusting evening patrols to address this issue and the SLMPD has added “overtime” patrols to also provide additional coverage in these areas.
A more precise product is being created to identify and track where these events are occurring.  Here is a basic map showing where the burglaries/thefts have happened since January 31st.  This map is not all-inclusive.
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Jim Whyte
Executive Director, CWE NSI
447 N. Euclid
St. Louis, Missouri 63108
314-454-5808 office
314-361-0496 fax