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EASTCHESTER, N.Y. Figures recently provided by the Eastchester Police Department show most crimes against people and property dipped in 2011, but new technology caused a spike in drivers caught operating vehicles with suspended registrations.
Overall, though, arrests were up in 2011, with 419 compared with 340 in 2010 and 296 in 2009.
Police used license plate readers (LPR) for the first time in 2011 and the mobile scanning devices, which read the information from passing cars and run a check with the Department of Motor Vehicles, led to 134 citations issued for driving with suspended registrations. Non-LPR violations dropped slightly, with 83 violations for driving with a suspended license or registration, down from 91 in 2010 but up slightly from 75 in 2009.
Leaving the scene of an accident reports dropped to 80 from 95 in 2010 and 96 in 2009, while DUI arrest held steady over the three year, with 12 in 2011.
Drug calls dropped by more than 50 percent in 2011, with 19 logged compared with 39 in 2010 and 29 in 2009. Grand larceny reports also dropped by more than 50 percent from a year ago and nearly 70 percent more than two years, with 18 compared with 49 in 2010 and 63 in 2009. Petit larceny stayed nearly even with 2010 with 93 reports.
Violent crime was rare in Eastchester over the three-year period. There were no homicides reported and no sex crimes in 2011 or 2010, with three reported in 2009. Assaults held steady through the reporting period, with five in 2011 and there was one incident of menacing in 2011 and 2009. In 2010, there were 23 menacing reports, 20 in October. Domestic disturbance reports rose to 128 from 188 in 2010 and 113 in 2009.
Running against the trend of declining crime was identity theft. Eastchester police took 75 reports from people whose financial information had been used without permission, up from 47 in 2010 and 50 in 2009.
Eastchester police did not respond to requests for comment.
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