Rise in Cedar Rapids Burglaries Leads to Special Meeting

Burglaries in the city are up 12 percent this year and police are hosting a special meeting so citizens can learn more about burglary trends and how they can help stop those crimes.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department reports 801 burglaries occurred in the city in the first nine months of this year, an increase of almost 100 from 2015 when there were 705.

Those numbers are concerning so Tuesday, October 18, the police department is hosting a Neighborhood Watch Town Hall Meeting.

Citizens can learn how to start a Neighborhood Watch and the keys to making it effective. Stats and recent trends from area burglaries will also be shared.

A press release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department explained how a Neighborhood watch works:

Neighborhood Watch operates to educate participants in the principles of deterrence, delay, and detection. The program depends on a communication network organized with three levels of participants – the resident, the block captains and co-captains, and a local law enforcement representative.

No pre-registration is required for the Neighborhood Watch Town Hall Meeting. It begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 18 inside the Whipple Auditorium of the Cedar Rapids Public Library at 450 5th Ave SE.

Join nearby residents and start a Neighborhood Watch in your area and be part of making our community a safer place.

[via Cedar Rapids Police Department]