Duluth credits drop in crimes to new police unit

Crediting a newly created crime suppression unit, Duluth police announced Wednesday that burglaries, vehicle thefts and larcenies had decreased in the past year.

Vehicle thefts had the biggest drop at 43 percent. Residential and commercial burglaries were down 37 percent, entering automobiles were down 24 percent and larcenies were down 16 percent.

Duluth police’s Crime Suppression Unit was formed in Oct. 2010 to combat a rise in local crimes. The unit started with six officers but police Chief Randy Belcher recently added two more to the team.