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Detective talks of city's No. 1 investigated crime
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Shooting and robberies make the headlines, but the crimes the city investigates most are burglary related.
In 2014, the police department assigned 710 burglary and 264 breaking and entering cases to its detective division, for a total of 974 cases, or an average of more than 2.5 cases a day.
By contrast, the next two most-investigated crimes in the city are thefts, at a total of 259 for felony and misdemeanor thefts and misdemeanor assaults, of which there were 197.
A burglary is when someone forces their way into a home that is occupied. A breaking and entering is when someone gets inside a structure that is vacant or abandoned.
Detective Sgt. Michael Kawa investigates burglaries that happen on the West Side. He said most burglaries are driven primarily by drug addicts looking to sell things so they can get money for their next fix.
In recent years, they have been trying to avoid pawn shops — where there is more paperwork and other ways to track them — to get rid of their stolen goods.
Kawa said they have been using the Internet more often, including sites such as Craigslist and Facebook, to get rid of things they steal.
But there are times when burglars cannot sell their wares, and officers find them later, Kawa said.
“A lot of the stuff will end up in drug houses,” Kawa said.
Kawa said in his experience, about half the burglaries he investigates are random, or crimes of opportunity, while the other half are from people who plan or case a neighborhood.
He said there are not too many organized burglary rings operating in the city. Instead, they are mostly individuals or loose groups of people.
One of the things Kawa said people need to do if they discover a burglary is not to touch anything until an officer arrives. Often, he said, people will clean up and then call police. He said that destroys any evidence.
There is evidence left behind sometimes, such as blood or fingerprints, Kawa said.
Kawa said people should take pictures of their jewelry and save or write down the serial numbers for high-end items, such as televisions and other electronics which are the most-common items taken.
Kawa said if the owner cannot offer proof that something stolen is theirs, they will not get it back.
Such items are stored in evidence until they can be identified, Kawa said.
Other unique items should be initialed if there is no serial number so they can be identified as well, Kawa said.
Burglaries are hard to solve because they often happen at times when no one is around.
Kawa said a simple video camera above a door can help or having neighbors look out for each other.
“It’s hard to prove because you have to show that somebody is in the house,” Kawa said.