The Madison Police Department’s East District is focusing on property crimes and shots-fired incidents for their Summer Strategic Plan crime prevention focus. The goal is to decrease both by 10% through the end of August. The East District led all districts in stolen auto incidents at the beginning of the summer, and today in his month two update Captain Jamar Gary indicated that particular crime is still a problem.
Keep in mind that MPD officers are doing this strategic plan work in addition to responding to regular calls for service in their districts.
Here is Captain Gary’s Month 2 Update:
The second month of the summer strategic plan has just been completed. I wanted to provide an update on the work conducted by East District personnel. As a reminder the strategic plan prioritizes crime reduction (burglary, stolen autos, theft from auto and shots fired incidents), addressing hazardous driving on E. Washington Ave., median safety enforcement and of course community engagement.
Here is a peek at the statistics from the second month:
| Category | Hours | Total Number of Efforts |
| Crime Prevention | 115.6 | 261 |
| Traffic Enforcement | 63.1 | 90 |
| Median Safety Ordinance | 3.1 | 12 |
| Community Engagement | 77.7 | 85 |
Crime prevention efforts have been reviewed on a weekly basis. Crime reduction strategies have been implemented throughout the district and across all shifts. In regards to output, officers have done a great job of being proactive during unobligated time. Overall the priority crime categories are down. Unfortunately, we continue to see a high number of stolen vehicles.
The focus has not only been on crime reduction of course. Traffic enforcement and median safety enforcement have been a priority as well. Officers have written citations, warnings and have been highly visible on the E. Washington Ave. corridor. Our TEST team has been a fantastic partner in this endeavor.
This period also saw continued community engagement from East District personnel. Foot patrol has been conducted in parks and neighborhoods. The Mounted Patrol has visited the district on multiple occasions to interact with the public. CORE has also supported district efforts. Coffee with a Cop was conducted in person and through a virtual platform simultaneously. Staff has attended several community meetings and I encourage you to invite me or someone from the district to be part of a meeting or an event.
Lastly, between July 21st and July 27th the East District experienced 7 residential burglaries. There were multiple burglaries in the North Star neighborhood and the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara neighborhood. Remember that thieves are usually looking for the path of least resistance (open garage doors and unlocked vehicles). We can all play a part in reducing crime!