The Valparaiso Police Department has released their yearly crime statistics for last year 2014. Overall the department experienced a decrease in the field of major or Part l crime statistics from 2013. Major crime statistics, which are defined by the U.S. Department of Justice through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), major crimes or Part l Offenses, are defined as Homicides, Rapes, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny/Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft and Arson.
The Valparaiso Police Department’s crime rate dropped by 3% compared to 2013. In 2013, the crime rate had dropped 22% from the 2012 statistics. In 2014 the department had 652 major offenses compared to 675 major offenses in 2013. A major element of the decrease was the drop in thefts/larcenies and burglaries within the city. In 2013 a total of 530 thefts were reported and in 2014 the number was reduced to 506 thefts, a decrease of 24 incidents. The department also recorded a reduction in burglary reports with 30 less burglaries reported in 2014 compared to 2013. The department responded to 26,561calls for service in 2014 a decrease of 2,766 from 2013.
The K9 unit was utilized 254 times in 2014 which resulted in 52 arrests. The department received 145 tips from TIP411 in 2014.
