In 2010, Cherry Hill reported 17 fewer violent crimes compared to the previous year, according to the Uniform Crime Report, an annual report based on crime statistics collected from all police departments.
Although murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are on the decline in the community, the report shows an increase in non-violent crimes, including burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft. Cherry Hill reported 2,175 non-violent crimes in 2009 and 2,222 in 2010.
Thefts increased the most of any crimes reported, jumping from 1,745 to 1,845 in 2010.
Cherry Hill Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. William Kushina said the economy has taken a toll on many, and has led to an increase in car thefts, scrap metal thefts, and more incidents of copper and air conditioner thefts from residential homes and businesses.
In response to this trend, which the police department was well aware of prior to the release of the 2010 report, the department implemented the “Lock it or Lose it” campaign during the spring of 2010, Kushina said.
The public-awareness campaign is aimed at educating residents to lock their car doors at all times, even when cars are parked in the driveway. Kushina said the program has been successful, but says residents can expect to see increased figures in next year’s Uniform Crime Report, as well, based on the continuing trend of thefts in the township.
Cherry Hill reported no incidents of murder or rape in 2010. There was one reported in each category the previous year. Robberies also decreased from 54 to 37. Kushina said he couldn’t attribute any one initiative to the decrease, but credited better reporting to the decline in violent crimes.
He said those numbers may be even lower in next year’s report, due to the department’s switch to 12-hour shifts earlier this year. Mayor Bernie Platt has previously stated that the move to a longer workday has already made the police department more efficient.
And although the Uniform Crime Report is telling, detailing crime statistics for each of the state’s 566 municipalities and providing a broader view of crime in New Jersey, Kushina said the department has many other ways of collecting and sharing crime data and urgent community information.
The Cherry Hill Police Department posts regularly on their Facebook page about neighborhood trends and the crime reports of the day.
Kushina said the department also maintains an e-mail tree for each of the township’s residential developments, which are used to keep residents informed, especially when there may be trending activity in the neighborhood.
Recently, Kushina said, the first police and school district campaign for “Lock it or Lose it” went live on the school’s television channel.
Another tool that has helped the department with quicker and more thorough reporting was the implementation of a new, paperless records management system during the spring of 2010, Kushina said.
The system allows for officers to send reports from their cars so it can be quickly approved and passed on to the records department or assigned to an investigation, eliminating hours and days spent on processing.
“It’s more proactive policing and we can identify trends quicker,” Kushina said.
In years past, Kushina said, the Uniform Crime Report has been helpful in identifying trends and pointing out areas of need.
Today, crime statistics are compiled much more quickly and efficiently, he said.
“These were more useful in the past. We can track this stuff. (The report) is very reactive policing,” Kushina said. “We look at statistics monthly, weekly and daily and we track more accurately.”
To view the UCR, click here.
