“The success can attributed to directed patrols, date-driven policing, crime mapping,’ chief says
In 2017, Washington Township reported 1,111 crimes to the state Department of Law and Public Safety Division of State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit. That number decreased by 24 percent in 2018.
For example, robbery cases dropped from 20 in 2017 to 9 in 2018.
“It’s good news,” Police Chief Pat Gurcsik said. “We are combating crime and robberies in many ways. The success can be attributed to directed patrols, data-driven policing, crime mapping, proactive policing, better use of intelligence sharing and additional police officers assigned to the patrol bureau. The patrol bureau is the backbone of our department.”
Gurcsik added residents are also part of the reason for the drop, citing an upgrade in technology such as alarm systems and doorbell video systems as possible reasons for the drop in robberies.
Larcenies dropped from 559 to 419 over the year, a 25 percent decrease. Gurcsik believes the visibility of his officers had a direct impact on those numbers.
“The data from the UCR supports our approach and shows that a greater number of visible uniformed officers has a great benefit to public safety,” he said. “Our patrol officers’ productivity increased in 2018.”
Gurcsik credited both police visibility and the detective bureau with the drop in motor vehicle thefts, which fell from 23 to 16 between 2017 and 2018.
“We have one of the finest detective bureaus in the county,” he said. “Our detectives made 170 arrests last year and executed over 20 search warrants. Our detective bureau crime clearance rate is one of the highest in Gloucester County.”
Gurcsik continued, citing an increase in productivity from his officers across the board. He said driving while intoxicated arrests went up, drug arrests went up, community patrols increased.
“Total enforcement increased 35 percent,” he said. “There were close to 56,000 calls for service. We made over 1,700 arrests.”
Some other statistics he included were the investigation of 2,000 motor vehicle crashes including three fatal accidents, 132 DWI arrests, 295 drug arrests and issuing more than 6,100 motor vehicle summonses over the course of 2018.
Also in the UCR are assault charges, which dropped from 348 to 278 between 2017 and 2018, roughly 20 percent.
Gurcsik attributes his and his officers’ success to the shift in focus and culture from being statistic driven officers to being a positive force within the community.
“Officers are encouraged to use patrol time in discretionary ways,” he said. “We are community caretaker first focused on providing services, security safety and of course enforcement.”
The use of social media has also been helpful to the police department. Gurcsik noted the department’s Facebook page gained close to 5,000 followers in two years.
“This helps to build a trustworthy relationship and a sense of community by engaging with each other,” he said. “We use it to spread information quickly and with minimal effort. At times, it helps protect our community, helps identify and catch suspects and find missing persons. It’s a great tool.”
While a 24 percent drop in crime sounds fantastic on paper, it’s something Gurcsik is ready to take head-on in 2019.
“This is not a victory lap, there’s always room for improvement,” he said. “Much of our success can be attributed to new community caretaking initiatives and partnerships with the community.”
Gurcsik specified the support of Mayor Joann Gattinelli and the township council has been integral in the success of the department.
This isn’t a case of “new year, new me” for Gurcsik, he’s staying true to his roots, looking to continue to have a positive impact on the community.
“This year we will expand our outreach initiatives and look to participate in a wider array of community programs,” he said. “While continuing our current programs, we will research and develop new programs to continue to build strong relationships with our residents and trusted relationships with the children of our township. This is a department-wide goal.”
