Crime Watch … Police department had a busy, busy week

Update: Hamtramck Police Chief Anne Moise issued this update on the vandalism of a pride flag that had been on display at the Piast Institute office on Jos. Campau:
“I wanted to provide an update regarding the Piast flag. A juvenile male was identified as being involved in the incident involving the flag at the PIast Institute.
“A voluntary meeting has been arranged between the juvenile and his parents and members of the Piast staff. The purpose of the meeting is for the juvenile to offer an apology to the Piast.
“The staff from Piast has stated from the beginning once it was determined that a juvenile may have been involved was that they did not want to prosecute and have this go on a juveniles record.
“Their only request from the beginning has been to request a meeting to discuss the situation and the way it makes people feel when someone damages their property.”

By Charles Sercombe
Crime trends last week in Hamtramck were a real smorgasbord.
Auto thefts, other thefts, fights, runaways, domestic assaults, non-domestic assaults, disorderly customers, family trouble, neighbor trouble, and ongoing incidents of the illegal dumping of debris.
Were the waning effects of the June 2 “Strawberry Moon” to blame for the variety of crimes, or was it all just the result of the super-heated weather we had last week, and people being more out and about?
Maybe all of that?
It’s not unusual to see a spike in crime as soon as spring and summer arrive.
Hamtramck’s shoulder-to-shoulder housing arrangement creates a perfect formula for neighbors to get testy with each other – especially when they live next to one of those “special” cranky neighbors, who is a thorn to everyone on the block.
As for car thefts, the warm weather allows thieves to expand their shopping, so to speak, and blend in with the neighborhood foot and auto traffic.
This is also why the department receives an increase in calls about suspicious people and vehicles.
For years, those who study crime trends say there is, indeed, a connection between warmer weather and crime.
To prevent becoming a crime victim during the warmer months, follow these tips, which we gleaned from the internet:
Lock your doors, even if you leave your house for a few minutes. Also, do you leave your windows open during the day while away? We all want to keep our homes and apartments cool, but many break-ins are committed by cutting through window screens.
Get a home security system. By now, just about everyone has a door security camera. Join them.
Network with your neighbors and hold block parties. This way folks will likely feel more connected and concerned about each others’ property.
Keep your yard maintained. This signals to would-be criminals that you keep a close eye on your property, and that you are likely home more often.
Crime update
Last week, an issue that caught the attention of a number of residents, and continued to inflame an ongoing debate over gay rights, was the vandalism of a pride flag on display at the Piast Institute office on Jos. Campau, just north of Caniff.
So far, according to the police department, there have been no arrests.
“The matter is still under investigation by the detectives,” Police Chief Anne Moise told The Review earlier in the week.
“No one has been, ‘caught,’ identified or charged at this time. Detectives continue to work on the investigation, including reviewing any potential video etc.”
As of Wednesday, it’s been confirmed by Piast that surveillance footage shows four youths walking by the pride flag and one of them tearing it down.
Because they are minors their identities will not be released. It is unclear if charges will be filed.
Posted June 16, 2023