Sheriff's Office
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Maryland Community Services Locator (MDCSL)
Sheriff's Office on foot, warning residents to lock-up
Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, May 3, 2013 ---- This weekend, Sheriff’s Deputies and Auxiliary Officers will begin distributing an informational door hanger with theft prevention tips to residences along more than one hundred roadways and neighborhoods throughout Carroll County. Personnel will hang the material on the front doors to each residence during the daytime or early evening hours only. The neighborhoods set to receive the distribution have been identified during crime analysis as having experienced multiple burglaries and/or thefts over the past year.
In fact, according to 2012 preliminary crime totals, thefts and burglaries increased 11% over 2011 from 2373 to 2635 reported occurrence, with these serious property crimes accounting for 87% of all crime in Carroll. Further, Sheriff’s Office investigators estimate the theft of electronics, tools, cash and other valuables from unlocked vehicles, sheds and homes account for almost three-fourths of those crimes. Already this year, thieves have stolen nearly $500 thousand worth of valuables from residents, the majority of which had been left unsecured.
Local incarceration patterns indicate that much of what is taken during these crimes is used to support illicit drug habits, making it no irony that this community education campaign was funded with monies seized through the local drug asset forfeiture process. An important initiative in reducing property crime, drug use and victimization; the Sheriff’s Office believes increased community awareness about this issue will help residents reduce criminal opportunity, making it increasingly difficult for thieves to operate in Carroll County.
The crime prevention notice, including a brief overview of local crime trends within the county and recommendations for residents to report criminal activity, and minimize their exposure to crime can be previewed in the attached document, or by visiting www.carrollcountysheriff.com.
