Crime Down In June In Ocean City; Year To Do Numbers Find 5% Drop In Total Incidents

Crime Down In June In Ocean City; Year To Do Numbers Find 5% Drop In Total Incidents
Cars IMG 5355 09 28 2014

OCEAN CITY – Half way through the year, Ocean City has registered decreases across the board in crime compared to this time last year.

On Monday, Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro reported the month of June’s crime statistics before the Police Commission. June is typically the busiest month for the police department due to the increase in high school and college-aged visitors.

According to the report, June’s total calls for service, including traffic stops, business checks and assistance to citizens, totaled 14,721, which is a 9.1-percent decrease from June 2014 when there were 16,191 calls for service.
Out of that total, 10,806 were officer initiated, which is a 9.8-percent decrease from June 2014, and 3,915 were citizen initiated, which is 7-percent decrease from June 2014.

The total number of calls for service, excluding traffic stops, business checks and assisting citizens, totaled 9,750, which is a 6.7-percent decrease from June 2014 when there were 10,447 calls for service. Out of the total, 6,077 were officer initiated, which is a 6.2-percent decrease from June 2014, and 3,673 were citizen initiated, which is a 7.4-percent decrease from June 2014.
Out of the top 25 calls for service, the majority of the categories decreased, starting with traffic stops falling to 2,754 call for service in June this year from 3,522 in June of last year; city ordinance violations decreased to 1,072 this year from 1,263 last year; disorderly decreased to 1,043 this year from 1,206 last year; assist to citizens decreased to 854 this year from 856 last year; 911 hang up calls decreased to 602 this year from 676 last year; alcohol violations decreased to 593 this year from 659 last year; suspicious person or activity decreased to 375 this year from 477 last year; check on welfare decreased to 316 this year from 324 last year; collisions decreased to 298 this year compared to 309 last year; assist to OC EMS decreased to 262 this year from 281 last year; CDS violations decreased to 260 this year from 404 last year; theft already occurred decreased 241 this year from 295 this year; assist to motorists decreased to 136 this year from 158 last year; animal complaints decreased to 129 this year from 382 last year; assist to the fire company decreased to 84 this year from 89 last year; and civil disputes decreased to 73 this year from 122 last year.

The categories that increased in the month of June start with parking complaints increasing to 534 calls for service this year from 249 last year; malicious destruction of property increased to 173 this year from 128 last year; noise complaints/violations increased to 133 this year from 123 last year; domestic assault/dispute increased to 105 this year from 95 last year; public safety concern increased to 100 this year from 79 last year; alarm premise increased to 73 this year from 69 last year; and report of a fight increased to 63 this year from 53 last year.

There were 590 arrests made in June and 43 criminal citations issued. There were 78 drug arrests made and 248 drug citations issued. There were 69 DUI arrests made and 43 weapon arrests, according to OCPD data.

At the end of June, a weekly breakdown reflects a 5.6-percent decrease in total crime so far this year compared to this time last year.
Under Part 1 Crimes there have been no homicides as of the end of June in 2014 and 2015; one shooting as of the end of June in 2015 compared to none this time last year; 13 forcible rapes as of the end of June this year compared to 22 as of the end of June last year; eight robberies as of the end of June this year compared to 10 as of the end of June last year; 39 aggravated assaults as of the end of June this year compared to 29 as of the end of June last year; 90 burglaries as of the end of June this year compared to 178 as of the end of June last year; 428 larcenies as of the end of June this year compared to 439 as of the end of June last year; eight auto thefts as of the end of June this year and 13 as of the end of June last year; and one case of arson as of the end of June this year compared to none as of the end of June last year.

There were 377 common assaults by the end of June 2015 compared to 339 by the end of June 2014 and 34 minor sex offenses by the end of June 2015 compared to 28 by the end of June 2014, resulting in an overall total of 999 crimes at the end of June 2015 compared to 1,058 at the end of June 2014.

There were 24 incidents in June where a Controlled Electronic Weapon (CEW), also known as a Taser, was involved compared to 28 incidents in June of last year. However, out of those incidents only four times was a CEW deployed.

On Sunday, June 14, an officer observed a male suspect attempting to break into the Court House on 65th Street. When the officer entered the vestibule where the suspect was located the suspect began acting hostile toward the officer. After the officer displayed his CEW the suspect did not change his demeanor, so the officer conducted a warning arc with his CEW still gaining no compliance. The officer then targeted the suspect with his CEW, and the suspected shouted, “Come and get me.” Based on this statement, as well as the suspect’s hostile demeanor the officer deployed his CEW into the suspect, and gained full compliance from the suspect. There were no injuries to anyone involved.

On Wednesday, June 17, an officer was about to issue a suspect a citation for an open container violation but the suspect fled on foot. A short time later another officer located the suspect who attempted to flee. The officer chased after the suspect and deployed his CEW into the suspect, which allowed a third officer to start applying handcuffs. When the electric charge came to an end the suspect began to resist again, so the officer attempted to administer another charge but inadvertently hit the wrong button on his CEW, which discharged a second set of probes. However, these probes did not strike anyone and there were no injuries to anyone involved.

On Saturday, June 27, an officer was dispatched to a domestic assault in progress involving an intoxicated suspect. Upon arrival, the victim pointed out the suspect, who was her husband, approaching the officer in an aggressive manner. When the suspect refused to obey the officer’s order to sit down, which involved the suspect swatting the officer’s hand away, the officer targeted the suspect with his CEW, which did not gain the suspect’s compliance. The suspect continued to verbally threaten and approach the officer in an aggressive manner, which is when the officer deployed his CEW. Although the CEW took full effect on the suspect, the suspect began to resist arrest as soon as the electrical charging cycle came to an end. The officer then conducted a drive stun with his CEW, which gained the suspect’s full compliance. There were no injuries to anyone involved.

On Sunday, June 28, an officer observed two subjects engaged in a fight. The two subjects did not show any intention to cease fighting despite the officer announcing her presence. The officer deployed her CEW into one of the suspects, which stopped the fight. There were no injuries to anyone involved.