CROWN POINT | The number of violent crimes in the city declined slightly so far this year, compared to the same period last year, a police official said.
No homicides were reported in the nearly a year since a November 2011 fatal stabbing, Chief Pete Land said.
Overnight police presence is routine in the downtown, where the stabbing occurred, with some officers assigned on foot and others in roving patrols, Land said.
Extra patrols are assigned during the Thanksgiving holiday this year, Land said.
Brandon Huseman, 26, died as a result of the Nov. 24, 2011, stabbing. Jeffrey Nemcek was sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty in August of reckless homicide in Huseman's slaying.
A comparison of 2011 and 2012 crime numbers from January through November showed fewer violent crimes overall, according to Land.
Robberies fell to one so far, compared to six during the same period in 2011, Land said. Two rapes were reported through Tuesday, compared to four in 2011.
The number of assaults was down slightly, to 136 from 141 in the same period a year ago. Burglary numbers fell to 42 from 48 over the same period.
An increase in scrap metal thefts helped drive up the number of overall thefts so far this year in Crown Point to 362, still short of the 371 thefts reported through November 2011, according to Police Department information.
The department added overnight patrols and investigative units in industrial business areas as a result of the increased number of scrap metal thefts, and the number of arrests related to scarp metal thefts increased as a result, Land said.
Night vision camera systems purchased with grant funding helped beef up surveillance in industrial business areas, Land said.
Vehicle thefts fell to 12 from 18.
Police saw an in increase in cases of thefts of property from parked vehicles, Land said. Many of the thefts were from unlocked vehicles parked in residential areas, Land said.
Prior to the November 2011 fatal stabbing, the most recent homicides in Crown Point were one in 2009 and one in 2005.
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