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Community Corner

Greenburgh crime down-25% decrease in burglaries

Good news regarding crime in Greenburgh. The following information was provided by the Greenburgh police department. Hat’s off to the police department for doing a terrific job in 2013. We hope for more good news in 2014.

PAUL FEINER

Chief McNerney today released statistics on Part I and Part 2 Criminal Offenses for the year 2013.  Part I Offenses are considered serious crimes by the United States Department of Justice.  Included in this category are Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Homicide, Larceny, Motor Vehicle Theft, Robbery and Rape. 

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During the year 2013, a total of 632 Part I Offenses were reported to the department as compared to the 643 reported in 2012 and 932 reported during 2009.  This represents an decrease of eleven (11) offenses over 2012 constituting a decrease of approximately 2%.The decrease experienced in 2013 was driven by a nearly 32% decrease in MV Theft, from 34 to 23, and a 25% decrease in Burglaries from 68 to 51.  The 51 burglaries tallied in 2013 was the lowest number recorded in recent years in the township.      

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A total of 1,081 Part 2 offenses, which are considered less serious criminal acts, were reported in 2013. This was a decrease of 196 over 2012 or 15%. This decrease was driven by a decrease in simple assault, criminal mischief and sex offenses.

 

In reporting these statistics, the Greenburgh Police Department utilizes the New York State Incident Based Reporting System (NYSIBRS) as opposed to the Uniform Crime Reporting System (UCR) generally employed by police agencies in New York and throughout the nation.  The difference in the two systems is that NYSBIRS, which is based on the U.S. Department of Justice’s, National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), reports multiple offenses committed during the same incident while UCR reports only the most serious offense involved in the incident.  For example, utilizing the UCR system to report an incident where an individual unlawfully enters a building to commit a crime (Burglary) and while in the building forcible rapes (Rape), robs (Robbery) and murders (Homicide) a person, would result in the single Part I Offense of Homicide being reported, since Homicide is the most serious offense related to the incident.  In contrast, however, use of the NIBRS format would result in four Part I Offenses being reported; the Homicide, a Rape, Robbery and a Burglary.

 

Since NIBRS reports all crimes associated with an incident, the number of offenses reported is quite likely to increase even though the number of criminal incidents may decline.  The data collected by NIBRS does, however, provide a more comprehensive description of criminal activity thereby allowing law enforcement to utilize its resources in a more efficient and effective manner

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