Thefts from vehicles emerge as the top crime in Fairfield

“You take your stuff in, you lock it up,” he said. “You don’t even have to take it in. Put it in the trunk. If they don’t see it and it’s not convenient, they’re not going to try.”

Theft from vehicles topped the city’s property crimes through the first five months of 2021, according to the Fairfield Police Department. It also topped the list of reported property crimes through the first three months, according to the data.

Day said the city will see a string of thefts from vehicles in some neighborhoods, especially during the winter months when people are heating their cars. It also can happen when parents are dropping children off at daycare and they leave their car unattended and unlocked.

“When we see things like that, we’ll be a little more proactive,” he said.

The city is running a campaign called #9PM, saying that’s when people should remove all valuables from their vehicles.

Historically, shoplifting is the top reported crime in the city with some reports saying it makes up more than 40% of all property crimes. In recent months, it’s been around a quarter of all property crimes.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Part 1 offenses include both violent and property crimes. More than 90% of Fairfield’s Part 1 offenses are property crimes. While theft from vehicles appears to be on the rise, the rest of the city’s crime is on par with historical data.

“I’ve been doing the stats for years,” Day said. “They never really change. They just don’t. They never seem to change.”

Proactive policing can put a dent in some of the property crimes, like thefts from vehicles, “but all the rest of them typically are the same,” he said. There’s not much of a reason as to why they’re consistent, though the city’s statistics are on par or below communities of similar size and the state averages, he said.

For violent crime, the state average is 2.9 incidents per 1,000 population. Fairfield is at 1.9 incidents. With property crimes, the figure is 20.6 incidents per 1,000 people and the state is 20.5 incidents. The city of Fairborn, which is about 10,000 people fewer than Fairfield, has a violent crime rate of 2.6 incidents per 1,000 people, and a property crime rate of 18.6 incidents.

Another property crime residents can cut down on is burglaries. While they made up 13% of the total property crimes from January to May, they have averaged about 11% of all property crimes in the past two years, according to data. The vast majority of burglaries occur in residential areas, Day said.

“These burglaries often occur during daylight hours when homeowners are at work or on vacation, and entry is often gained through unlocked doors and windows,” he said.

CRIME PREVENTION

For tips to lessen the chance of becoming a crime victim, visit www.fairfield-city.org. For more information, call the Fairfield Police Department at 513-896-8268.