Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012

Analyst to track crime trends

Safety grant will help pay cost

Police are hiring an analyst who will track crime trends in Garner, Holly Springs and Knightdale.

The Garner Police Department got a three-year grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help pay for the analyst, who will spend 60 percent of the time crunching crime data for Garner and the remaining time on the other two towns.

Tracking crime rates can help police decide where to conduct traffic checkpoints or step up patrols, said Garner Deputy Chief Eric Copeland.

"(The analyst) will determine, 'OK, this is where we're having crashes; this is where we're having crime,'" Copeland said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration uses a program called Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, which partners with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The program aims to reduce crime, crashes and traffic violations by sending law enforcement to targeted areas.

"Bad guys don't like blue lights," Copeland said.

Research has shown that crimes often occur in areas that see a high number of vehicle crashes, he said.

And in Garner, Copeland said, a lot of reports of shoplifters come out of the White Oak shopping center and the U.S. 401 corridor, which has a lot of retail stores.

Copeland said he hopes the analyst's data will help police reduce crime rates in town.

Currently, a lieutenant compiles crime data and puts together a monthly report of trends.

But Copeland said that by hiring an analyst for those duties, the department can free up that lieutenant for other police duties.

Last year, the Garner Town Council initially said it didn't want to hire a crime analyst.

Some council members said they didn't want the town to have to take on the full costs of the position after the grant ran out, and they didn't think Garner had enough crime to warrant a full-time worker.

But Police Chief Brandon Zuidema asked several other local towns to come on board. Holly Springs and Knightdale said yes.

The crime analyst will have a starting salary of $45,240.

The grant will cover some of the costs for the first few years. The first year, Garner will be responsible for paying about $7,800.

Garner police have said they want to hire more civilian workers for some duties, and Copeland said that mentality was at work in deciding to hire a crime analyst.

Zuidema has said it's cheaper to hire a civilian because it can be costly to train, equip and outfit sworn officers.

Police are also interested in hiring a worker to handle evidence from crimes, including labeling and logging data, Copeland said.

But so far, he doesn't know if money is available.

"Grants are so competitive these days, with the lack of funding," he said.