Chief: Identity theft ‘fastest growing crime’

No matter the community, crime is, unfortunately, a part of life. While Police Chief Ted Cook said Mountain Brook is rated as one of the safest communities in the state, there are still incidents the police department responds to.

After looking at the statistics from last year, which are based on the fiscal year, Cook said a few things stood out to him.

The first is residential burglaries. In fiscal year 2018 (FY18), there were 42 reported home burglaries, compared to FY17’s 33 burglaries and FY16’s 38. 

Cook said the department has been working over time to decrease the number of those incidents, which had previously seen peaks of 70, 81 and 83 incidents in FY10, FY11 and FY13, respectively. 

“It wasn’t a huge spike, but it is enough that it got our attention,” he said of the report for FY18. “I really think 42 is not that far out of our, maybe our normal range, maybe not an acceptable range, but it’s kind of within our norm.”

He also noted the number of reported identify thefts or identity theft attempts increased greatly in the last fiscal year, from 91 in FY17 to 140 in FY18. 

“It’s our fastest growing crime,” locally, nationally and globally, he said. “And I think multiple things affect and have affected that number, not the least of which is people report it more and better.”

He said the combination of technology and social media and the amount of time people spend on their phones or computers likely drives the opportunities scammers and phishers have to steal someone’s identity. The number of reported cases has grown steadily in the last eight years, with the lowest number in FY11 at 31.

Cook also noted the number of drug-related arrests from FY18, 140, is much higher than previous years. FY 17 saw 91, and FY16 saw 81.

He said this category differs from the other statistics as it reflects the number of arrests made, not the number of reported incidents. 

“Arrests are where our officers are out there, maybe going a little bit further on a traffic stop, going beyond what a particular traffic stop was for and being able to get permission, or maybe they developed some sort of probable cause [and] found illegal drugs,” Cook said. 

He attributed this spike in drug-related arrests to personnel training that “taught them techniques of going beyond a normal traffic stop” and having a good presence of officers out on the streets.

Vehicle break-ins, though, are an ongoing problem for all law enforcement, Cook said.. 

These break-ins fall under burglaries, and a good portion of them are due to unlocked vehicles. He said criminals have figured out opening an unlocked car door is easier to get in and steal things, and the risk is lower because there’s a smaller chance of being caught.

“So it’s an attractive target to just walk along and pull on door handles,” he said.

Cook said residents should take any valuables from their car — laptops, wallets, purses and firearms are commonly stolen items — and into their home at night to further prevent theft and illegal use. 

Locking doors extends to homes, Cook said, as residents should always take precautions to protect themselves, their family and their valuables.

And, Cook said even though Mountain Brook remains a safe community, and the police department takes a proactive approach, residents should notify the police if something seems out of place.

“Call us and let us come check it out when you see it, not 30 minutes later, not an hour later,” he said. “Most of the time, it’s fine. [But] it gives us an even better chance to come and check on folks.”