LAWRENCE: Stats show increase in burglaries

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   For the second consecutive year, the number of major crimes reported in Lawrence Township — led by a jump in burglaries — continued its upward trend in 2011, resulting in an overall 24 percent increase in crime.
   The 2011 annual crime report, prepared by the Lawrence Township Police Department, was released to Township Council last week. It showed the overall number of major crimes had climbed from 1,088 in 2010 to 1,253 last year.
   The crimes of murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson are classified as major crimes and reported to the New Jersey State Police. The results are compiled in the NJSP’s statewide annual Uniform Crime Report.
   The last murder in Lawrence was reported in 2001. The number of rapes was unchanged at 3 compared to 2010, but there was a significant increase in burglaries and car thefts. Break-ins climbed from 93 in 2010 to 131, for a 41 percent increase. There were 28 cars reported stolen last year, up from 16 in 2010. This is a 75 percent increase.
   Assaults increased by 27 percent — from 151 in 2010 to 192, according to police statistics. Robbery, which is theft with the use or threat of force, went up by 21 percent. There were 19 reported robberies in 2010, and 23 last year.
   The number of thefts climbed from 717 to 874, for a 22 percent increase. But the number of reported cases of arson declined by 78 percent — from 9 in 2010 to 2 last year.
   While Police Chief Daniel Posluszny is unhappy at the increase in overall crime, he said he does not think it is the result of a sour economy. The 974 reported crimes in 2009, for example, was the lowest number in years, he said. In 2001, there were 1,599 major crimes reported in the township.
   Nevertheless, Chief Posluszny is concerned about the growing number of burglaries and thefts. And while the number was 131 last year, it is less than the 257 burglaries in 2001, he said.
   Chief Posluszny said that in the past, burglaries were committed by a handful of criminals. But “based on the information we have gathered,” he said, it appears there are more people committing a larger number of burglaries. He did not have an explanation for the apparent increase in the number of people who are burglarizing homes and businesses.
   But Chief Posluszny theorized that it might be part of an overall “creep effect” in crime in Mercer County and New Jersey, pointing out that “there are no (municipal) boundaries for crime.” Criminals might come into Lawrence from other towns.
   As some municipalities have resorted to laying off police officers — excluding Lawrence Township — to balance their budgets, the perception is there are fewer police officers overall and criminals might feel free to move around from town to town, said Chief Posluszny.
   ”Our priority is burglary and theft,” he said. “The number of violent crimes (in Lawrence) is low, but the community expects a cut in the number of burglaries and thefts. We take burglary and theft seriously. We have active, visible patrols and we are doing different police actions that are more subtle.”
   He said Lawrence police solve about 35 percent of reported burglaries.
   Chief Posluszny said the department is continuing to focus on enforcing motor vehicle laws and making warrant arrests to take criminals off the streets. He said there are studies that show a correlation between enforcement of motor vehicle laws and crime.
   ”If you take somebody off the street (by making a warrant arrest), that person has already shown a propensity for disregarding the law,” he said. A warrant is issued for a person who does not appear in state or municipal court to answer a criminal or motor vehicle charge.
   ”We don’t know if that person is committing burglaries, but we are trying to make it indicative that we do not tolerate that type of behavior (in Lawrence Township),” said Chief Posluszny.