DeKalb city sees big drop in violent crime

Tucker, the still new DeKalb County city, is touting a decline in overall crime, including a 30 percent reduction in the number of violent crimes committed.

Numbers compiled by DeKalb police, which works all crimes in the city created in March 2016, show decreases from 2016 in 2017:

• Homicides down 75 percent (The area typically has no more than a few homicides a year, which can lead to large shifts in percentage. In this case, there were 8 in 2016 and 2 in 2017.)
• Robberies down 44 percent
• Business burglaries down 19 percent
• Auto thefts down 15 percent
• Entering autos down six percent

Mayor Frank Auman gave credit to the cops.

“Not only are these officers a presence in the community deterring criminal activity, they are making positive connections and building relationships with our citizens, especially our young people,” he said.

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Tucker has an agreement with DeKalb that provides the city with its a police liaison, Lt. D.G. Schoeppner. Schoeppner provides regular briefings to the City Council and staff on crime trends, as well as listens to concerns from residents.

“What we saw in 2017 was certainly encouraging,” Schoeppner said. “Not only was crime down, but our officers and detectives are closing cases at a pace that far exceeds the national standard for police investigations.”