Douglas Athas, Mayor-Elect

The reported incidents of crime in District 1 rose about 10% over last month, which was the highest since December but almost 10% below a year ago (104 incidents).
 
As noted in the chart below, there was no significant rise over last month in any category except thefts. Of those incidents, 60% were suspects apprehended for shoplifting.
 
[The title to this post was an allusion to the ironic timing of the data and the pending return to school for much of the community. While shoplifting and thefts in general were responsible for the rise in statistics, any conjecture of a tie to school is baseless. I don't have any data as the ages of the suspects so I have no evidence that any of these individuals was actually "shopping" for school or that the majority were youths. No actual besmirching is intended.]
 
A bit alarming and unusual, all the home burglaries in July were in the eastern half of the district and two of the incidents were on the same street. This does often point to the same individuals committing multiple break-ins in the area. On the positive side, once apprehended, incidents in the area drop dramatically. Unfortunately, until apprehended, they could easily move to another part of the District or city. The quickest way to catch these thieves is to watch for strangers in your neighborhood and report suspicious events to the police, such as descriptions of individuals, vehicle color, and license numbers. Remember, our Neighborhood Police Officers use that data very effectively. It really does help.
 
The car burglars were more democratic, hitting vehicles across the District. It is so critical to not leave items in view that will give someone looking through the windows any desire to break-in. Of course, forgetting to roll up the windows or to lock the doors is a special invitation to explore those areas not regularly visible. Save a thief from himself—don't leave him a chance to steal.
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood. If you are a Garland resident reading this but do not live in District 1, you can get reports for your area here on the Police Department's website or from your Council member.