From the office of the Takoma Park Chief of Police:
August 20, 2007—Chief Ronald A. Ricucci announced today that for the first six months of the year, overall crime in the City of Takoma Park has declined 9.15%. There were significant decreases in Robbery (-31%), Burglary (-17.1%), Larceny (-5%) and Auto Theft (-7%). In reviewing the statistics, it was noteworthy that residential burglaries were down 23.9.90% from last year. People feeling safe in their homes is one of our top priorities. The reduction in robberies is very significant.
Chief Ricucci was pleased with the results, but cautioned the residents of Takoma Park to remain committed to being security conscious and reporting all crimes and suspicious activity to the police. Chief Ricucci attributed the decreases to the extensive effort put forth by the entire department on the robbery detail during the first three months of the year. The establishment of the plainclothes unit has led to a covert presence on the streets. This unit has already successfully made many significant arrests for robberies and burglaries. The most important part has been the Uniform Patrol Division partnering with our Criminal Investigations Division to be visible on patrol, while in
vehicles, as well as on foot in the target areas of our community. We have also reinstituted bike patrol, which also will play a significant part in our crime reduction effort in the future.
Chief Ricucci states that the next six months will be a test in our efforts to further reduce crimes. We must remain vigilant!
— Catherine E. Plevy
Executive Assistant
Office of the Chief of Police