Mid-Year Assessment
As we reach the year's mid-point, it's helpful to evaluate how the year has gone so far in the West District, and how thing compare with last year at this time.
Through the end of June, officers have responded to 23,017 incidents in the West District, an average of 126 incidents per day. This is a slight increase over the first half of 2011, when officers had responded to 21,400 incidents in the district. Fridays are the busiest days of the week (with about 16% of the incidents) and Sundays are the quietest (with about 12% of the incidents). The busiest time of the day is the 3pm to 5pm time period.
The biggest monthly increase was in the month of March, when incidents increased from 2011 to 2012 by 16%.
Many incident types have decreased from the first half of 2011 to the first half of 2012: robberies are down by 21%; thefts from autos are down 28%; stolen autos are down by 14%; and residential burglaries are virtually unchanged. However, disturbances are up 11% and neighbor disputes are up 85%.
West District command staff will continue to monitor data and react to trends accordingly.
Burglaries
There have been a number of residential burglaries occurring in the neighborhoods south of McKee Road/Highway PD. Most of these are occurring late at night, with entry being gained through open or unlocked doors. In some instances, residents were home at the time of the burglaries. District personnel will continue to work to solve these incidents, but please take steps to reduce your chances of becoming a victim:
• Keep doors closed and locked, even when you are home.
• Keep your garage door closed.
• Keep the door from your garage to the interior of your home locked.
• Keep the exterior of your home will-illuminated.
• Report suspicious behavior or unusual activity.
• If you are victimized, please call 911 immediately.
Madison Meet & Eat
The Madison Parks Department is coordinating a new event, "Madison Meet & Eat" starting on July 12 and running weekly for 4 weeks. The event will bring about a dozen food carts to the Meadowood mall area in the 5800 block of Raymond Road. The event will run from 5pm – 7:30pm each night. Please stop by, enjoy some food and connect with your neighbors. More information is available here: http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/celebrate/madisonmeetandeat.cfm
Do what you can to stay cool during this hot streak. Please contact the West District with any questions or concerns about West District police operations.