Southington police credit auto theft task force with drop in car burglaries - Meriden Record-Journal

SOUTHINGTON — After just a month in operation, local police are crediting the Auto Theft Task Force with a drop in car thefts.

“We have warrants that are actively being written and I think some of those efforts are paying off a lot more quickly than we expected,” said Lt. Keith Egan, adding that collaborations with police departments in surrounding municipalities have already largely dismantled one of the gangs believed to be responsible for the thefts.

Officers responded to nine motor vehicle burglaries and one stolen motor vehicle over the last month, Egan said in a statement. That’s decreased from 31 motor vehicle burglaries and seven stolen motor vehicles between Jan. 11 and Feb. 14.

“Since the Task Force inception, just one month ago, these officers have been working closely with area police departments and the Connecticut State Police to address the issue. Through the collaborative efforts of several law enforcement agencies, the Task Force has been able to identify person(s) of interest, involved in motor vehicle thefts, as well as other crimes of violence in the surrounding towns,” Egan wrote.

The task force is composed of a patrol supervisor, a detective, the community and crime prevention officer and a handful of patrol officers. All of the staff on the task force have been removed from  other responsibilities and are entirely dedicated to reducing car thefts in town.

Thefts are believed to largely be the work of gangs operating out of nearby cities, particularly Hartford, New Britain and Waterbury, and they often leave stolen vehicles in particular areas after using them for other illegal activities, Egan said. The task force has assisted in sharing information between departments and collecting evidence, such as DNA, for processing.

“It’s unquestionable that they’re stealing cars to further their other crime … there’s drug activity connected to it” as well as violence, Egan said. For that reason, police discourage residents from approaching or pursuing anyone believed to be involved in car thefts.

One of the task force’s successes was in seeking charges against two individuals believed to be responsible for a motor vehicle stolen from the Staples parking lot on Spring Street on Feb. 17. One juvenile has been arrested on charges including first-degree larceny and conspiracy. Police have applied for an arrest warrant for a second suspect.

The task force represents one of three prongs in the town’s strategy of reducing car thefts. Police are also using data to target patrols strategically by area and communicating with residents through social media, neighborhood watch associations and public service announcements.

Some of the data police are relying on to target patrols can be seen on a recently created dashboard on the department’s website. The dashboard allows users to view a map and charts showing when and where burglaries are happening in town. Users can also change date ranges to see changes over time.

Egan also credited the growing number of residents engaged in neighborhood watch programs with stemming the thefts.

“We’ve built a really good relationship with our block watch and we strongly encourage people to get involved,” he said. “ … Those people are our eyes and ears on the road. We can only cover so much area.”

Michael Leone, one of the residents who pushed for the creation of watch groups in town, said they’ve been having an impact, though it’s too early to celebrate yet. Residents are continuing to join and they’re in the process of forming four new neighborhood subgroups, as well as pushing for statewide legislative changes to address auto thefts.

“The Southington task force along with the neighborhood watch has been successful in reducing burglaries and car thefts, despite legislation that hampers their ability to pursue and that allows juveniles — and most of these are juvenile offenders — to boldly commit these crimes without any fear of responsibilities,” Leone said.

dleithyessian@record-journal.com203-317-2317Twitter: @leith_yessian

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