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HAZLETON — Mayor Jeff Cusat, Police Chief Jerry Speziale and the department’s officers believe crime is steadily being reduced in this city of roughly 25,000.
The numbers seem to prove them correct.
Speziale keeps track of major crimes to see if his policing strategies have been paying off.
So far, he’s seeing decreases in almost all areas since taking over the force at the beginning of 2016, including a 58 percent drop in robberies and a 52 percent decline in larceny.
Here are some crime statistics that cover Speziale’s tenure:
• Homicide: 2 (2015); 2 (2016); 1 (2017)
• Forcible rape: 8 (2015); 7 (2016); 7 (2017)
• Robbery: 52 (2015); 46 (2016); 22 (2017)
• Aggravated assault: 40 (2015); 37 (2016); 56 (2017)
• Burglary: 120 (2015); 117 (2016); 84 (2017)
• Larceny (except motor vehicles): 353 (2015); 211 (2016); 171 (2017)
• Motor vehicle theft: 39 (2015); 36 (2016); 30 (2017)
• Overall crime: 614 major incidents in 2015; 456 in 2016; and 371 in 2017. From 2015 to 2017, that equals a 40 percent reduction.
— Source: Hazleton Police Department