Crime decreases in Newark, on UD campus

The Newark Police Department has reported a 48 percent decrease in incidents of crime since 2006, which officials are crediting to a new approach to handling public safety issues.

The department credits targeted policing, a network of surveillance cameras throughout the city and ramped-up community policing efforts as the factors behind the sharp decrease in crime. The new approach came under the direction of Chief Paul Tiernan, who joined the force in September 2007 and faced high rates of robberies, many of them armed.

Tiernan and members of his department realized most of the crime was occurring at off-campus housing for the University of Delaware, with young college students often the victims.

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"My fear was that one of them would make a grab for a gun and get shot," Tiernan said, before adding that the exact scenario he envisioned played out about a year later in an armed robbery.

With some small adjustments and a reconfigured deployment strategy, Tiernan began a fall crime suppression plan targeted for when college students return to campus and are most likely to become victim of crimes. The plan has continued to work in the years since, Tiernan said, a direct reflection of the continued hard work from his staff.

When comparing data from 2014 to 2015, the city saw a 9 percent decrease in robberies, an 18 percent decrease in aggravated assaults and a 27 percent decrease in burglaries. The Criminal Investigations Division also had a 62 percent clearance rate for robberies, according to department statistics.

"We try to be there really, and try to prevent crime from happening," Tiernan said.

University of Delaware Police have seen a similar significant drop in crime on campus, Chief Patrick Ogden said.

The two departments often share information as students move from on campus to city jurisdiction depending on where they live and what they do. Ogden said the department is in the process of migrating data to a new system so specific numbers were not available, but the decrease in crime is noticeable.

"When crimes are reported more frequently, you're able to increase your apprehensions, which ultimately decreases crime," he said, adding that officers are now able to anticipate where and when crimes will occur using data-driven technology.

Like many departments around the state, both Newark and UD police use crime analysts to better determine trends in criminal activity and how officers can best stop it. Under these implementations, departments station officers in particular locations at specific times to stop and prevent crime.

None of this can be achieved without good community interaction though, Tiernan and Ogden said.

Newark police recently initiated a Special Operations Bureau with four officers dedicated to identifying emerging problems in the community and solve them before crime occurs. Tiernan said this can range from loud music at house parties near campus to increased crashes in a certain intersection.

Ogden's department, however, has to reach a college-aged clientele – a portion of which he noted graduate every year, creating an ever-changing population for officers.

Officers recently filmed a parody video on Drake's "Hotline Bling" encouraging students to call them early and often when crimes occur or they see something out of the ordinary. His department also heavily relies on social media to reach students.

"We know that students are engaged in their phones," he said. "If we try to send (alerts) out in an email, they may never get them."

All the more reason to work together, Ogden said, especially with law enforcement partners in neighboring jurisdictions. Sharing information between departments is not only helpful for police – it keeps the community safer, as well.

"Criminals don't respect jurisdictional boundaries," Ogden said. "Working together is key."

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.