Burglary Incidents in Hinsdale Down 56 Percent Since 2008

The total number of residential and motor vehicle burglaries in Hinsdale during 2011 was the lowest it’s been since at least 2008, a recently released police department report notes.

The 14 residential burglaries and 24 burglaries to motor vehicles in 2011 are down from 15 residential and 50 motor vehicle burglaries in 2010, according to the 2011 Annual Report. The report was made available on the police department’s website last week.

“There’s not one specific thing we can attribute this reduction to,” Deputy Chief Mark Wodka said. “In speculating, I hope that it’s the increase in public information that we share.”

Wodka said the department sent out more residential-burglary-related press releases in 2011, while also beginning to disseminate information to residents via social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

“I’d like to argue that the community is better informed,” he said.

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The 2011 Annual Report included burglary numbers back to 2008, a year during which there were 33 residential burglaries and 53 burglaries to motor vehicles.

Residential burglaries have come down each year since. There were 24 in 2009 and 15 in 2010.

During the same period, vehicle burglaries peaked in 2009 with 66.

Wodka speculated that the drop in vehicle burglaries could be due to a reduction in criminal activity by local juveniles, who might be more likely to burglarize a vehicle than adults.

“There have been less juvenile offenses, in most cases, in our community,” Wodka said of 2011.

According to the deputy chief, the burglary numbers are a total of only those incidents in which the burglary was the most severe offense.

The Hinsdale Police Department has been putting out annual reports since 2005. In addition to crime numbers, the report highlights initiatives of the department, notable accomplishments by officers, and organizational changes the community should know about.

“It gives residents a better understanding of what the police department is about, what the organization’s mission is, and what happens in the Hinsdale Police Department,” Wodka said.