GPD: Break-ins being solved slowly
By John Joyce
Published in News on June 3, 2015 1:46 PM
Despite being down 15 percent from 2014, the Goldsboro Police Department said Monday the close proximity of recent cases to one another makes the number of residential and motor vehicle break-ins to-date this year seem higher.
Several investigations are ongoing, including those into a cluster of motor vehicle break-ins at the Legacy Apartments at Berkeley Place, 105 Fallin Blvd., and into a more recent series of break-ins in the West Haven community.
"The grouping makes it stand out. The grouping makes it appear that there are more (break-ins) than there are," Maj. Anthony Carmon said.
As of June 1, 141 residential break-ins had been reported in the city, as had 186 motor vehicle break-ins. Arrests have been made in some cases and more arrests are likely to follow pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The clearance rate for these kinds of cases currently hovers around 18 percent, which isn't bad, Carmon said.
"We'd like to close them all," he added.
Investigators said at the time of the Legacy Apartments break-ins that the same suspect or group of suspects likely committed all of the break-ins there, but that that did not necessarily mean they were responsible for every cluster of break-ins throughout the city such as others committed during that same time period on Corporate Drive and East Mulberry Street.
As it stands, Carmon said there is still no evidence to connect any of the cases.
The community remains the first line of defense against these and other crimes, Carmon said. Citizens are encouraged to look after their property as well as their neighbors'. Anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked to dial 911.
And take precautions, Carmon said.
"Lock doors, don't keep valuables in plain view, tell your neighbors and the police department when you plan to go out of town," he said.
The police department also suggests citizens write down the serial numbers to their electronic devices, their firearms and their other personal belongings so they can be traced if stolen and sold to a pawn shop or to a trade-in business.
If an item does not have a serial number assigned, take the time to engrave it with a number or name, Carmon said.
"We have an engraver here at the police department, in the Crime Prevention office. We will engrave it for you," he said.
Carmon said victims of break-ins are too often in a hurry to get to work or to get on with their lives and refuse to let investigators process crime scenes in their homes for fingerprint or DNA evidence. Some people worry the chemicals used might damage their carpets or the interior of their cars, he said. But those few extra minutes and minor inconveniences might mean the difference between the perpetrator being caught or getting away with their crimes.
"These are the things that can help close cases," he said.