Chief says booming economy contributes to reduction in major offenses
Lea Kahn
The number of major crimes reported in Lawrence Township declined for the eighth consecutive year in 1999, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department’s annual uniform crime report.
There were 1,334 major crimes reported last year, down from 1,366 in 1998 a 2 percent decline. The crime rate began its downward spiral in 1992, when 2,051 crimes were reported, according to police department statistics.
A booming economy is contributing to the decline in major crimes, Chief of Police John Prettyman said. Crime has been going down nationwide, he added.
Major crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/thefts, motor vehicle theft and arson. Those offenses make up the crime index, or uniform crime report.
There were no reported homicides in 1999, and none in 1998. The number of reported rapes declined by 22 percent from 9 in 1998 to 7 in 1999. There were 27 percent fewer robberies last year, as compared to 1998 48 robberies in 1998 and 35 in 1999.
The number of arsons went down by 60 percent from 5 in 1998 to 2 in 1999. The number of aggravated assaults declined by 5 percent from 19 to 18.
Burglaries declined by 6 percent. There were 178 break-ins in 1998 and 168 last year. The number of larceny/thefts declined by 1 percent. There were 908 thefts in 1998 and 901 last year.
But the number of motor vehicle thefts and attempted motor vehicle thefts rose 2 percent from 199 in 1998, to 203 in 1999. There were 25 motor vehicle thefts and 5 attempted motor vehicle thefts at the Quaker Bridge Mall in 1998, as compared to 37 motor vehicle thefts and 8 attempted motor vehicle thefts in 1999.
"You get a group of juveniles that comes out and starts committing motor vehicle thefts. You catch them and they will be put away (in jail) for a while, and it gets slow until another group starts," Chief Prettyman said. "It’s a national problem. We are not isolated here in Lawrence."
The police chief praised police Capt. Daniel Posluzsny and Lt. Joseph Mosner, who are in charge of the community policing program. The two officers are "leading the way," actively working with community groups to get them involved, he said.
"All of the feedback I have heard from the community groups is good. We have gone out to talk to groups to start Neighorhood Watch programs. Some neighborhoods are very active, but in some groups, it is hard to get someone to volunteer," Chief Prettyman said.