Anyone who cares about crime in our neighborhood may be interested to know that the Northeast Police Division just got its new website up and running. One highlight is the news about recent police arrests and initiatives, such as last week’s reverse prostitution sting that led to eight arrests in two hours. (And I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but find humor in the fact that the sting took place at the intersection of Senate and Dilido.)
Another interesting feature about the website is that Northeast is compiling its own most wanted list, on top of the list the Police Department generates for the entire city. The list will have descriptions of suspects as well as descriptions of vehicles and such involved in crimes. What’s posted right now is a description of the vehicle and suspect involved in the recent road rage murder near Richland College. Deputy Chief Jan Easterling said at last night’s crime summit that detectives have spent a lot of time in that area talking to people who might have seen something, but they have no leads. She practically begged for anyone with any kind of information to notify police. My guess is that if people check this page regularly, we might be able to help catch the suspects of not only this crime but others that take place on our streets.
One more interesting tidbit of information from last night: Easterling said crime in the Northeast Division is down 7 percent from last year, the lowest it’s been in five years. It’s also a bigger drop than any other division in the department.
