City of Grosse Pointe: Fewer Crimes in 2012

Officers in the City of Grosse Pointe responded and investigated fewer crimes in 2012 as compared to 2011, including a 7 percent decrease in those crimes classified as the most dangerous by the FBI, Department of Public Safety Director Stephen Poloni reported to city council this week.

Poloni generally credits the drop to the "pro-active nature of the officers" during patrol, which is a deterrant, he said to Patch Friday.

In addition to experiencing fewer crimes, the department received about 15 percent fewer calls for service at 4,508 in 2012 as compared to 5,322 in 2011.

Poloni is the first of the directors of public safety in the Grosse Pointes to present his annual report on crime statistics. He said the numbers show that "Grosse Pointe remains one of the safest communities to live in."

The crime statistics show a 15 percent reduction in crimes in 2012 with 257 cases as compared to the 302 investigated in 2011.

Those crimes are broken into two categories according to the FBI's uniform crime reporting standards: index crimes, which are the most serious offenses generally involving a direct victim, and non-index crimes, which are the less violent crimes that generally involve property.

According to the annual report compiled by Poloni, the City had 109 index crimes and 148 non-index crimes in 2012. The City reported 118 index crimes and 184 non-index crimes in 2011.

The most significant reductions of index crimes came in the area of burglaries and motor vehicle thefts, which had a 14 percent and 31 percent drop respectively. Additionally, the City experienced nearly half the number of malicious destruction of property crimes in 2012 at 15 as compared to the 31 cases in 2011.

There were some notable increases:

• double the number of fraud cases
• about a 40 percent increase in narcotic/drug cases
• more than double the number of non-aggravated assaults
• about 30 percent more drunken/drugged driving arrests

Poloni said to Patch the City experienced several notable "high-profile crimes" that may have led to the perception of crime being worse but the numbers show the decline in crimes.

While there is not one particular reason for the drop, Poloni said the department was more vigilant in having a heavier foot patrol presence in the business districts, such as the Village. Additionally, patrolling along Mack Avenue is another deterrant to crime, he said.

Among those high profile crimes are:

• the repeated break-in and eventual arson of Coins and Stamps early in the year
• the series of daytime home burglaries in May
• the $1 million jewelry heist from a home in September
• the December reported armed robbery of a business on Mack Avenue that was  determined through investigation to be a false report

Officers arrested 114 individuals throughout 2012, about 20 percent fewer than the 143 arrests in 2011.

Additionally, the department responded to 383 calls for fire service, ranging from house and building fires to smoke investigations to downed wires and more. Fire causes approximately $1.35 million in damage throughout the City in 2012, which includes all loss reported.

The two most notable fires were of Coins and Stamps, which caused approximatley $750,000 in damage and the duplex on Neff Road, which caused about $550,000 in damage.