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News
Report notes rise in Oswego retail thefts : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisReport notes rise in Oswego retail thefts
| More stores have meant more work for village police
| by John Etheredge
| 5/21/2009
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The opening of numerous national retail stores and restaurants in Oswego over the past decade has meant village residents no longer have to drive to other area communities to do most of their shopping and dining, but it has also resulted in more work for village police.
Police Chief Dwight Baird told the village board earlier this month that police have noted a steady rise in retail thefts over the past few years as more stores have opened.
According to the department's 2008 annual report, police handled 220 retail theft cases last year, a 31 percent increase over the 167 cases reported in 2007. In 2006, police reported 138 retail thefts.
"We've seen a large increase in retail thefts and other financial crimes, including credit card frauds and forgeries," Baird said. "But the biggest increase is in the retail thefts."
Baird attributed the rise in retail thefts to two factors: the village's emergence as a regional shopping destination and, to a lesser degree, the downturn in the economy.
The upward trend in retail theft has continued into this year, according to Baird. He said police have noticed a spike in the theft of alcoholic beverages during the first two months of this year.
"It's well on the path of being three times what it was in 2008 for the first 60 days of this year," Baird said. "I don't know if the increase is due to people not having money and looking for a mind altering drug to escape their problems or if they are thinking they'll pay for their food, but steal the alcohol."
To curb the retail thefts, Baird said village police continue to work with loss prevention staffers in local stores and have increased patrols in local shopping centers.
"We make recommendations to the retailers about the placement of some items in their stores to help prevent thefts, but they have to look at their sales, too. They have to do a balancing act," he said.
Baird said it typically take officers about two to three hours to process retail theft cases.
"It all depends on how much the suspect takes," he said. "If they tried to take 100 items we have to log those items into evidence (storage) unless they are perishable. The courts require us to keep the evidence. Then the officers have to process the paperwork."
Last year police logged in over 5,300 pieces of evidence compared to 4,300 in 2007 and 2,700 in 2006, according to Baird.
Officers have less time
for other police work
The rise in retail thefts has served to reduce the amount of time village police have for what Baird described as "proactive" police work, including traffic patrols.
Baird noted that the number of arrests police made for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) last year was 103, 12 fewer than in 2007. Arrests for illegal possession and transportation of alcoholic beverages were also down slightly, the report shows.
The total number of traffic citations issued by police in 2008 was down significantly from 2007. The report shows police issued a total of 4,639 citations last year, 2,512 fewer than the 7,151 citation issued in 2007.
The number of traffic accidents in the village increased from 672 in 2007 to 806 last year, according to the report.
Baird said he remains concerned about the reduced time police have for traffic patrol duties because he believes it serves to deter crime.
Baird noted that due to budget constraints, the department has not added any additional officers in the past two years.
"In that two year period we had Meijer open in early 2007, then Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Kohl's and Best Buy," he said.
Baird said overall the number of more serious crime arrests made by police increased 138 last year over 2007.
"We are having success as far as closure of cases with arrests, but again we are not at a pace where we want to be as far as preventing some of this stuff," he said.
While the village's newly adopted budget does not include funds for additional officers, last month village police did apply for funding to hire up to three new officers under a program offered by the U.S. Department of Justice. The hiring program is being funded through the federal economic stimulus program passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.
If the department's funding request is approved, the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost for the village to hire the new officers for their first three years of employment with the department.
The village is one of numerous communities locally and across the country to apply for funding through the program. Baird said he expects to find out next month or in July if the department will receive any or all of the requested funds.
Referring to justice department officials, Baird said, "Hopefully, they will see what we have and what our need is here."
Funding proposal in
works for new station
Looking ahead, Baird said he intends to present a proposal to the board next month outlining how the village could pay for the construction of a new police station to replace the existing 19 year-old facility at 3525 U.S. Route 34.
Referring to the board, Baird said, "They can look at the funding proposal and then they can make a decision on whether or not they'll go forward."
The current station was designed to serve the village until it reached a population of 25,000 and to accommodate a total workforce of 50. Baird noted the village's population is now close to 30,000 and the department's workforce totals 77, including part-time police cadets and community service officers.
Last year a consultant for the village reported to the board that the current police station has reached capacity and recommended the construction of a new facility. The village has a signed contract for a site for a new station along the north side of Woolley Road, immediately east of the Oswego Fire Protection District's new station No. 1.
Asked to assess how bad the department's need is for roomier quarters, Baird noted the idea of constructing a new police station was first identified in a departmental strategic plan approved by the board three years ago.
"We've known we were going to outgrow this building and you have to remember that from the day the board makes the commitment to build a new facility it will be three years before we move in," he said.
Baird said he doesn't believe village residents should bear the bulk of the cost for building a new station.
"I don't think it should be on the backs of our residents. Our traffic stop, accident and even our arrest data shows that 65 to 70 percent of the people we deal with are people who live outside the (Oswego) 60543 zip code," he said.
In the event the board chooses not to act on his funding proposal, Baird said police will "make it work" at their current facility.
"We will continue to maintain it the best we can and we can make some modifications, but how long do you keep putting money into a building that you know is not going to last? Any money we spend on it we'll never get back," he concluded.
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