Brandon Twp.- During the first four months of this year, police in the township received fewer calls for service than the same time period last year; however, major crimes, including burglaries and larcenies, have increased.
‘It’s significant that major calls have gone up even though service calls are down,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Burkett. ‘It should concern the community. It may be a sign of the times? the economy is not doing well and people are desperate. They are stealing money for whatever reason, be it to get drugs, or food for their family.?
Burkett presented the township substation’s quarterly report, from January-April 2008, to the township board Monday night. The results included an increase in burglaries, 27 so far this year, compared to 15 for the same period last year and an increase in larcenies, 39 this year as opposed to 29 last year. Drug offenses were also up? 11 this year, compared to 7 last year. But several other numbers were down, including damaged property (34 in 2007, 17 in 2008); alarm calls (174 in 2007, 114 in 2008); and most dramatically, citizen assists (343 in 2007, 236 in 2008).
Burkett explains that calls for citizen assistance in-clude helping people who are locked out of their vehicles, have flat tires, need a peace officer in transferring custody of children, or require breathalyzer tests at the substation per court orders. He is unsure why the number for this category changed so dramatically.
‘Overall, I’m happy with the report results,? Burkett said. ‘There is an upswing in serious crimes, but not a drastic upswing.?
He is preparing for summer, when he says traffic enforcement is up, and so is crime. Burkett advises citizens to be diligent about their safety.
‘Keep your cars and homes locked and report suspicious activity,? he said.