LIMA — The Lima Police Department is reporting that crime has declined so far in 2017 compared to last year.
Speaking at Mayor David Berger’s weekly press conference Wednesday, Chief Kevin Martin said that the U.S. Department of Justice Uniform Crime Report crime statistics for January to April showed an 11.7 percent reduction compared to the same time period in 2016, with violent crime, including murder, rape, robbery, non-negligent manslaughter and aggravated assault, down 26 percent.
“We have had some high-profile violent incidents that have occurred recently, but it is certainly not as dire as some people make it out to be,” he said. “(This is) due in large part to the hard work of the Lima Police Department. I especially want to acknowledge the work our detectives have been doing. They have been working very hard at getting cases wrapped up and getting those people responsible in custody before they hurt any more people.”
Martin also praised the department’s pinpoint policing policy, saying that by concentrating enforcement in high-crime areas, more weapons are getting off the streets.
“In 2015, our patrol officers were able to take 52 illegal firearms off the street,” he said. “In 2016, they took 102 illegal firearms off the street. Those kinds of things are having an impact.”
Martin also praised the work of the community oriented policing program, saying that it helps provide not only trust in the public but also avenues of communication providing valuable information during investigations.
“The officers are out there in the community knocking on doors and doing surveys,” he said. “They’re getting around to community events talking to people and getting to know people and building communication conduits with the community. That communication has been benefiting us, as well, in terms of getting information that we otherwise might not have.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
