As overall crime is down, identity theft cases see sharp rise

Mountain Brook’s reputation as one of the wealthiest cities in the state travels far and wide, Police Chief Ted Cook said during a recent discussion on crime in the area. On more than one occasion, Mountain Brook officers have arrested criminals from as far away as Decatur and Mobile lured into the city by the promise of wealth.

“What we hear from those we arrest is that ‘Mountain Brook has the good stuff,” said Cook about why some have traveled more than 200 miles to commit a crime. 

Rather than use that information to alarm residents, Cook said he hopes it will remind the community to always be mindful of their surroundings. 

“Criminals these days are much more mobile,” he said. “Residents shouldn’t hesitate to contact police if something seems off.”

Still, he said, overall crime in the area is down across the city, as compared to five years ago. According to statistics provided by the Police Department, residential burglaries — which involve entering a building, though not necessarily by breaking in, with the intention of committing a crime — have been cut in half, down from 70 in 2010 to 30 in 2015. Burglaries at a business are down from 14 to 3. Vehicle break-ins, though in not as dramatic a fashion, are also down. Police reported 110 vehicle break-ins in 2010 and 70 in 2015. 

“A lot of these are crimes of opportunity,” said Cook, who once again stressed the importance of locking doors on cars and homes. 

In 2015, Cook said at least 85 percent of auto burglary reports involved an unlocked vehicle. Even if nothing is left in plain sight, the risk criminals calculate is relatively low when it comes to opening the door to an unlocked car and looking around, he said. 

“They’ll ride around in groups and pull car handle doors,” he said. 

Because criminals are always on the lookout for easy targets, Cook said it is just important to leave valuables out of sight, even in a locked car. If a criminal sees something valuable through a car window, they’re much more likely to take the risk of making noise and break the window. 

Cook said he attributes the overall drop in crime to the steps the department has taken to re-allot man power as well as to better inform and train personnel. The department, he said, has also made it a point to keep the public abreast of developing situations or crime patterns in and around the area. In years past, for example, when car break-in rashes hit neighboring cities like Vestavia and Homewood, the department worked with the community to increase awareness and eventually catch those responsible. 

“These types of crimes are not community-specific,” he said, “communities everywhere deal with these issues.”

There has been a hike in drug-related incidents — up from 35 in 2010 to 99 in 2015 — which Cook attributes not to an increase in drug use in the area, but to an increase in the amount of arrests made by officers. Cook said the department has taken measures to better prepare its officers to spot and catch illegal drug use during traffic stops among other calls. The drug-related arrests, he said, range from possession of drug paraphernalia to both street and prescription drugs. 

Identity theft is also seeing a significant rise, according to the statistics. From 2010 through 2015 the number of identity thefts has been on a steady incline, up from 40 to 89 reported cases. That trend, said Cook, is reflected nationwide. 

Since identity theft can happen in so many different ways and often takes time to catch, Cook recommends being familiar with banking accounts and checking credit reports as often as possible. In Mountain Brook, Cook said he has seen identity theft cases involving email and telephone scams, cloned credit and debit cards, fraudulent IRS returns and reproduced checks. Just because an individual lives in Mountain Brook, he said, does not mean that is where the identity theft initially took place. 

“It can happen to you anywhere,” said Cook.

According to weekly crime reports provided by Mountain Brook police, residents have already reported at least five cases involving either identity theft or money scams this year.

In recent months, police have located and arrested several individuals wanted in connection with local identity theft cases, though new ones have occurred. Police also held an identity theft course on how to prevent and deal with identity theft earlier this year. Cook said the department will likely hold more courses in the future. 

In March, two city residents reported their debit cards were used without their permission outside of the state — one in Maryland and the other in Pennsylvania. Another victim fell said he discovered his identity had been stolen after someone filed income taxes using his identity. A fourth report involved an executor of an estate who reported that between Dec. 6 and March 7, someone opened credit card accounts in the name of an individual who had died. 

Two instances of forgery were also reported involving checks at a business in the 10 block of Office Park Circle and one in the 100 block of Euclid Avenue.

If identity theft is suspected, Cook said it is imperative to contact the police department, alert banks and cancel credit cards. 

“Sometimes, unfortunately, there’s little we can do on our end in terms of identity theft,” said Cook, “which is why it’s so important to monitor accounts and catch it as early as possible.” 

Cook also recommends visiting the Federal Trade Commission’s website at identitytheft.gov, which covers how to report identity theft and develop a recovery plan.