Police Look Back on a Year in Crime

There was nothing like a crime wave in North Canton this year, but police did detect a change in the way burglars went about their work.

They say burglars seemed to target homes instead of picking them randomly, as they've done in the past, and the thieves got bigger hauls than they did in years prior.

"We had them going into places that already had alarm systems and stealing more expensive items than before," said .

North Canton has had 46 burglaries as of mid-December, compared to 49 for all of 2009, police said. Stolen items ranged in value from a couple of dollars to $60,000. Several residents reported losses greater than $20,000.

Criminals this year were more likely to come back and hit the same neighborhood, Grimes said. But no one neighborhood seems to have suffered much worse than the others; victims were scattered across the entire city.

"By the end of the year, the burglaries are pretty well spread out over the four zones that we have," he said.

The north end of the city concerned Grimes the most because nearby homes just outside the city limits reported several burglaries this year — and he knows criminals pay no mind to city limits.

He said those who break into homes outside North Canton are likely to cross over into the city, and that's one reason why North Canton police work alongside other agencies to solve crimes.

The patrol also handled several car break-ins this year, with residents frequently reporting thefts of money and laptop computers. Leaving visible items in vehicles is what Grimes calls a "crime of opportunity" — easily prevented by covering up your valuables or putting them in the trunk.

"(Criminals) are basically shopping at night," Grimes said. "You're setting up your car to be broken into."

Even a little change lying around could lead to a break-in, he said.

"That's still money to them," he said. "They're looking for whatever they can get."

North Canton prohibits parking on city streets for longer than 30 minutes between 2 and 6 a.m., which leaves little time for criminals to target vehicles. The parking ban also makes it easier to identify drivers who have come into the city with ill intent, Grimes said.

Officers' approachability and residents' willingness to cooperate also helps keep crime low, Grimes said.

"If there are break-ins, (residents) don't just sit idly by," he said.

Lt. Michael Wurgler agreed, saying it's crucial that residents report something when it's out of place. 

"Our officers can't be every place at once, so we rely on the public to inform us when something unusual is going on," Wurgler said.

The relationship between police and residents is good, Wurgler said, and a recent citywide survey bore him out. The department received a 91 percent satisfaction rating, the highest among all city departments.

"The department's support from (city) council and citizens makes our job easier when we know the citizens are with us rather than against us," Wurgler said.