Editors note: At the request of The Bartlett Express, the Bartlett Police Department (BPD) provided a little over a year’s worth of offenses within the city to get a snapshot of what crimes have topped the list. The data in the chart below covers April 1, 2014, through April 15, 2015.
As the weather warms and people begin pulling out their yard equipment, it’s time to watch for opportunistic thieves. Bartlett assistant police chief Glen Williamson said people often leave their garage doors open while they’re in back mowing the yard, and they sometimes see empty shelves when they return.
“Put the garage door down,” he advised. “Every tool you’ve bought is a potential tool somebody doesn’t have.”
Those quick grabs and thefts from unlocked motor vehicles (which are a year-round occurrence) are the most common issues for citizens this time of year.
When juveniles get out of school, vandalism also may pick up, he said. Today’s social media options also make it easier for youths to meet in groups and get into mischief.
Drug cautions
Young people also find the time to explore their parents’ medicine cabinets, try out drugs like Oxy-contin left over from a parent’s illness, and then, after they’re hooked and no longer have the drugs, they often try heroin, Williamson said.
His advice to parents: Promptly and appropriately discard unused medicine. It can’t be crushed and flushed down the drain or discarded in household trash. The former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) prescription drug disposal drive previously held by Bartlett police no longer has DEA funding, but Williamson said his department is considering establishing a medication dropbox inside headquarters in the near future.
The department would use Shelby County resources to dispose of the drugs.
Williamson also responded to questions about gang activity, in light of the April 25 shooting that wounded one teenager and reportedly involved some gang members. He pointed out that gang members can live anywhere and gang membership is not illegal, but he also added that Bartlett’s not known as a place where gangs stake out geographical areas and defend their turf.
Visibility
The city’s 116-member police force stays involved in local neighborhoods to gain a rapport with residents, and over time some citizens who are normally reluctant to talk with police will agree to talk with the officers they know.
Relationships with the business community also help in crime prevention and resolution. “We
encourage all the officers to get out of their cars and meet the business owners,” Williamson said. “If you’ve got the time, engage the public. Be visible.”
He said Bartlett has something of a reputation as being “active” in traffic enforcement, but their presence reminds lawbreakers that officers are watching, ultimately reducing crime rates.
Despite the reputation for issuing tickets, Bartlett officers use their discretion and typically issue only one ticket for every two or three warnings they give drivers, Williamson said. He noted that Bartlett also remains one of the safest cities in Tennessee, and the FBI Uniform Crime Report named it as number five in the state.
Good behavior
Social media on the national scale has been reporting more and more often about citizens’ concerns with aggressive law enforcement, but William-son said he doesn’t believe Bartlett Police Department has the kind of environment that encourages profiling or unethical treatment.
“If there’s a complaint, I would hope they’d bring it to our attention,” he said. “We’re always trying to improve the relations with the public.”
The department works to hold officers and the public accountable with the latest tools, including video evidence. Each patrolcar has a video camera, and the department is exploring the use of body cameras. The motors unit (motorcycles) and school officers already have bodycams.
There are some issues with the body cameras, as the view wobbles when officers move, but even the audio is helpful, he said.
“Traffic complaints definitely have gone down with the inclusion of video,” Williamson said. “… It makes our investigations easier. If he did it, he did it. And if he didn’t, he didn’t. There’s no argument with video.”
He said that relying on audiovisual equipment is not a panacea, however. There are privacy concerns about sensitive conversations (such as audios of domestic violence incidents) being made part of the public record.
Storage of data is also far more expensive than the cameras themselves. It will take study, but Bartlett will continue to look into solutions.
Learn more
Citizens who want to know more about how the Bartlett Police Department operates are encouraged to check out the Citizens Police Academy and the Youth Citizens Academy.
These free programs give adults and young people abbreviated training courses on what it’s like to be on the other side of the badge and blue lights. See details online at cityofbartlett.org/453/Public-Information-and-Education.
| BARTLETT CRIME REPORT April 1, 2014 to April 15, 2015 source: Bartlett Police Department |
|
| OFFENSE | INSTANCES |
| All other traffic offenses | 1,244 |
| Simple assault | 349 |
| Drugs/narcotics violation | 236 |
| Vandalism | 226 |
| Intimidation | 190 |
| Shoplifting | 187 |
| Theft from motor vehicle | 168 |
| Theft from building | 158 |
| Drunkenness | 157 |
| All other larceny | 136 |
| Drug equipment violation | 129 |
| Runaway | 97 |
| Driving under the influence | 93 |
| All other offenses | 91 |
| Burglary/residential | 90 |
| Impersonation/identity theft | 82 |
| Aggravated assault | 72 |
| Motor vehicle theft/passenger vehicle | 53 |
| Credit card/ATM fraud | 48 |
| Theft of vehicle parts/accessories | 47 |
| Fraud/false pretenses/swindle | 44 |
| Burglary/non-residential | 37 |
| Family offenses, non-violent | 37 |
| Curfew/loitering/vagrancy violations | 35 |
| Counterfeiting/Forgery checks | 33 |
| Order of protection violation | 30 |
| Evading arrest | 30 |
| Theft from yard | 29 |
| Dog/animal bite | 27 |
| Liquor law violations | 26 |
| Disorderly conduct or fighting | 24 |
| Natural death | 24 |
| Burglary/business | 22 |
| Trespassing, general | 22 |
| Tobacco/underage possession/purchase | 21 |
| Weapon law violations | 20 |
| Theft of trailer | 19 |
| Embezzlement | 18 |
| Resisting arrest/stop/frisk/halt | 18 |
| Motor vehicle theft/truck | 17 |
| Counterfeit currency | 17 |
| Liquor law violations/possession under 21 | 17 |
| Robbery/individual | 15 |
| Theft of bicycle | 13 |
| Family offenses, cruelty toward child or abuse | 13 |
| Missing adult | 13 |
| Forcible fondling | 12 |
| Custodial interference | 11 |
| Forcible rape | 11 |
| Possession of stolen property | 11 |
| Pornography/obscene material | 11 |
| Stalking | 10 |
| Suicide | 10 |
| Counterfeiting/Forgery | 8 |
| Liquor law violations/consumption under 21 | 7 |
| Forcible sodomy | 6 |
| Cruelty to animals | 6 |
| Kidnapping/abduction | 5 |
| Robbery/business | 5 |
| Wire fraud | 5 |
| Trespassing, aggravated | 5 |
| Criminal attempt | 5 |
| Reckless endangerment (major injury) | 4 |
| Pocket-picking | 4 |
| Peeping Tom | 4 |
| Carjacking | 3 |
| Reckless endangerment (no weapon, no injury) | 3 |
| Motor vehicle theft/motorcycle, go cart, etc. | 3 |
| Obstructing highway/passageway/panhandle | 3 |
| Theft from coin machine/device | 2 |
| Theft of fuel | 2 |
| Statutory rape | 2 |
| Sexual assault with an object | 1 |
| Bomb threat | 1 |
| Arson | 1 |
| Theft of mail | 1 |
| Prescription forgery | 1 |
| Phone prescription fraud | 1 |
| Assisting/promotion | 1 |
| Bad checks | 1 |
| Liquor law violations/purchase for under 21 | 1 |
| Trespassing by motor vehicle | 1 |
| Indecent exposure | 1 |
| Habitual motor offender | 1 |
| Recovered stolen auto other agency | 1 |
| Recovered stolen property other agency | 1 |
| Warrant service – old system | 1 |
