Burglaries, arrests on rise in New Kent, report says

Based on figures supplied by New Kent Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr., activity within the county sheriff’s office is on the upswing. Howard detailed statistics for 2012 Monday night during his annual report to the county’s Board of Supervisors.

“The bad news is, residential breaking and enterings are up,” he told the board. “The good news is, 88 percent of those B&Es have been solved.”

The sheriff attributed the burglary clearance rate to hard work by his detectives, advances in technology for gathering evidence, and vigilant residents working through Neighborhood Watch programs.

Last year, 1,863 crime incidents were reported resulting in 704 arrests, a number that is 7.6 percent above 2011. The arrest figure includes 657 adults and 47 juveniles. Adult arrests constituted a 13.5 percent increase over the year before.

The sheriff’s office communication center handled 90,206 telephone calls last year. Of those, 33,786 were calls for service. Criminal warrants served last year by deputies totaled 1,584 or a 28.3 percent increase over the previous year. Civil papers served amounted to 6,712 or a 10.1 percent increase. Incident reports completed were up 4.6 percent to 1,863.

Courts in New Kent were in session 180 days last year. The breakdown includes 77 days for general district court, 67 days for circuit court, and 36 days for juvenile and domestic relations court.

Deputies also served 560 jury summonses, completed 3,156 property checks, and had over 25,000 crime prevention contacts.

In his report, Howard noted potential problems that could affect future law enforcement efforts in the county. Topping the list is budget constraints where the outlook “continues to be bleak,” he said. Funding shortfalls appear to exist at all levels of government, he noted.

Other potential problems exist in the areas of illegal narcotics and domestic violence. Drug use continues to be an issue in the county, and domestic violence is on the rise nationwide, he said. Then there’s providing security for county courts as the number of court dates continues to head upward.

Howard included in his report several recommendations for addressing problems. Obtaining grant money can help offset budget woes, he noted. School safety ranks high among concerns, and he plans to address the issue with increased police presence and communications with schools. Hiring a SRO (school resource officer) for Watkins Elementary through potential grant funding is also on the table.

Increased police activity and training along with community awareness are proposed for attacking the drug problem. Aggressive enforcement and intervention plus public education rank among solutions to address domestic violence.

Howard plans to forward requests to local and state government and grant agencies seeking money to hire full or part-time personnel to assist with court security.