For years, the February Arbor has provided residents with a recap on recent crime activity in University Park. This year, instead of a 12-month snapshot, the department’s crime analyst charted occurrences for a full range of crime categories from 2001 to 2021.
Quick Findings
In recent years, vehicle burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts have been trending down, while home and business burglaries and bicycle thefts have increased. The fairly recent spike in stolen vehicles (2018, 2019) is partly attributed to push-to-start technology and numerous vehicle owners who told officers they left their vehicle unlocked with the key fob inside. The charts also show, while they are below the number of occurrences for several of the years tracked, home and business burglaries are going up. Here too, much of the time, victims tell officers they left doors unlocked and security systems unarmed.
Without question, whenever violent offenses occur, including Murder, Sexual Assault, Robbery and Aggravated Assault, they are troubling to the department and to the community at large. Thankfully, over the past 20 years these four crimes are annually few in number, and they are occurring less often when compared to five or six years ago and back even further.
Definitions
Murder – A person commits criminal homicide if he or she intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence causes the death of an individual.
Sexual assault – Is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will.
Robbery – Is the action of taking property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force.
Aggravated Assault – Is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.
Burglary Vehicle – A person commits an offense if, without the effective consent of the owner, he breaks into or enters a vehicle or any part of a vehicle with intent to commit any felony or theft.
Burglary Building – Occurs when a person enters a dwelling, building, or any portion of a building not open to the public with the intent to commit theft, assault, or any felony-level offense.
Burglary Habitation – Occurs when a person enters a home without first receiving permission from the property owner and remains concealed within a habitation with the intent to commit a felony, theft or assault.
Theft – A person commits theft under Texas law if the person "unlawfully appropriates property with intent to deprive the owner of property."
Theft Vehicle – Texas law prohibits taking property that does not belong to you without the property owner's consent and with the intent to deprive the owner of property.
It just takes a moment to reduce crimes of opportunity
During the past 20 years, as highlighted by print and online publications that independently report on the country’s safest communities, for cities of comparable size, University Park remains among the safest places to live and work. As you review the annual numbers, please know that you and your neighbors are a vital part of curbing crime. As you are leaving your vehicle, the few seconds you take to remove your valuables from plain sight lessens the opportunity for theft. When you lock your vehicle and you take your keys or key fob with you that helps reduce vehicle burglaries. Likewise, bicycle thefts drop when riders lock their bikes securely or put their bikes inside the garage with the doors closed and locked. For homes and businesses, crime prevention advice is the same. Whether you are inside or not, remember to lock up, and if you have a home or business security system - use it.
The members of the University Park Police Department truly appreciate your continued vigilance. If you see something suspicious, please don’t hesitate to call for an officer. The department’s non-emergency number is 214-363-3000. Of course, if you have an emergency, call 911.