Brookhaven police present preliminary data showing declines across major crime categories

Brookhaven’s police chief told the City Council on Jan. 13 that preliminary crime data show reductions across a range of categories and credited coordinated resource use and technology for the trend.

“Crime is down in Brookhaven,” the chief said, offering specifics including a 50% drop in homicides, “almost 30% in **** cases,” a 30% drop in robberies, nearly a 12% drop in aggravated assaults, more than a 40% reduction in burglaries and almost a 25% reduction in motor vehicle thefts. The chief cautioned the presentation was a snapshot and said a full report — to include response times, trends and return-on-investment analysis — will follow in the first quarter.

Council members responded with praise and questions about regional comparisons. The chief said similar reductions are being seen in neighboring jurisdictions and that Brookhaven’s closure rates — including a shoplifting closure rate the chief said has risen “well over 70%” and possibly above 80% — were notable compared with a cited national average of about 30%.

Councilmembers asked for more detail on how Brookhaven’s metrics compare with statewide and nearby city data; the chief said those comparisons will be part of the upcoming full report. Several members also asked for clearer accounting of interventions that prevent incidents before they are recorded as crimes, and the chief and other staff said the full report will provide more context and data on prevention activities and investigations.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the police chief and staff will provide an expanded dataset later this quarter.