Stafford County News and Notes
Katie Thisdell reports on news from Stafford County. Contact her at kthisdell@freelancestar.com or at 540/735-1975.
Crime up in Stafford, new campaign to focus on reducing larcenies
The Stafford Sheriff’s Office sent a press release today about a new campaign: “Take It, Hide It, Lock It or Lose It.” Essentially, the program hopes to prevent thefts, especially from unlocked vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office will be distributing pamphlets, setting up message boards and signs, and meeting with community groups to remind people to take objects out of their locked, parked cars.
The release says that larcenies are up not just in Stafford, but nationwide.
Interested in the numbers of other crimes in the county? Here are some figures from the county’s May statistical report (scroll to page 40), comparing year-to-date reported crime from March 2011 to March 2012.
Crimes Against Persons:
| 2012 | 2011 | % change | |
| Kidnapping/Abduction | 5 | 7 | -28.6% |
| Robbery | 11 | 5 | 120.0% |
| Homicide | 0 | 1 | -100.0% |
| Rape | 5 | 6 | -16.7% |
| Aggravated Assault | 30 | 26 | 15.4% |
Crimes Against Property:
| 2012 | 2011 | % change | |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 26 | 19 | 36.8% |
| Burglary | 48 | 40 | 20.0% |
| Larceny | 519 | 377 | 37.7% |
| Fraud/Financial | 190 | 137 | 38.7% |
Sheriff Charles Jett said at an April public safety committee meeting that the increase in crime (and animals at the animal shelter) can be largely attributed to the winter’s warm weather. When weather is better, there’s more “business,” so to speak. “Right now we’re watching it closely,” Jett said.
