Crime & Safety
Crime, Arrests Down From January To June.
The Hyattsville Police Department's semiannual report says there has been an almost 15 percent decrease in crime.
Arrests between January and June in the came in at a five-year low, according to a semiannual report released by police chief Douglas Holland last month.
According to the report, arrests are down 17 percent over the first six months of 2010.
Total crime in the city is down 14.8 percent from the first half of 2010 as well.
Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Hyattsville police spokesman Sgt. Chris Purvis isn’t sure what was the smoking gun that caused the drop.
“There are no … charts to show what we are doing right or wrong,” Purvis said. “We are always changing our philosophies and strategies.”
Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One of the new philosophies is Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety. It uses location data to identify areas of high crime incidence. The police department then places officers in the high incident areas.
“We have a small department, only about three to five guys a shift,” Purvis said. “Our goal is to have someone for at least one hour a day in a hot spot. So far it seems to be working.”
The majority of Hyattsville’s crime from January to June was in Ward 4 where 64 percent of total crime occurred. Holland said that often is related to shoplifting at the