Reports of Serious Crime in Burr Ridge Down During FY 2012

There were 92 reports of serious crime in Burr Ridge during fiscal year 2012, a 19 percent decrease from fiscal year 2011, according to the ’s annual report.

The report, presented by Chief John Madden at Monday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, detailed an 11 percent overall drop in calls for service in the village, for both serious (Part I) and non-serious (Part II) crimes, from 15,150 in fiscal year 2010, to 13,154 in fiscal year 2012.

Part II non-serious crime reports fell by about five percent, Madden said.

The chief said he was “surprised” by the low number of Part I offenses, which are mostly felonies and include burglaries, thefts, aggravated assaults and other serious crimes. Part II crimes are mostly misdemeanor offenses like drug abuse, prostitution, vandalism and disorderly conduct.

The overall calls-for-service number includes calls from the community to the police department or to the dispatch center via 911, and “self-generated” public services such as vehicle lockouts and assisting other departments, Madden said.

Emergency 911 calls decreased only slightly from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2012.

“Most of the decrease was in our public services,” Madden said.

Lower staffing levels could be a possible explanation.

During fiscal year 2012, which ran from May 2011 through April 2012, the police department’s staff was down one officer from the year prior after an open position was left un-filled. There was also an officer who was out for a 30-day period for a non-duty-related injury, an officer who missed 20 days for a personal matter, and a retirement that affected the department for the final month of the fiscal year. One more officer had National Guard obligations that took him away for the last 48 days of the fiscal year.

“In a department our size, it does affect us,” Madden said of the absences.

The department has hired two new cadets who will likely complete their training by January. Even with those two new hires, the department will be short one officer as the National Guardsman expects to be deployed to Afghanistan for up to 475 days later this year.

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