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Crime has decreased overall but overdose and burglary calls have been up as the coronavirus crisis has shut down Burlington in recent weeks, Police Chief Jennifer Morrison said Friday.
The Burlington Police Department has not yet ticketed anyone for violating Gov. Phil Scott’s “stay home” order since the city announced earlier this month it could fine those who did not follow the governor’s order.
Overall incidents are down 17% from March 1 to April 15 this year compared to the same period last year, Morrison said. Traffic stops are down more than 90%, as fewer cars are on the road, she said.
But overdose calls are up 50% over the three-year average, which Morrison said was concerning. The city received 11 overdose calls from March 1 to April 15 this year compared to six over the same period last year, she said.
The department continues to do outreach to those who are at risk or have overdosed in the past, Morrison said.
“This is a stressful time for everyone, and it puts additional stressors on people who are at risk of relapse,” she said.
The city held a virtual town hall on mental health and addiction Thursday, in which resource providers the Howard Center and Turning Point Center of Chittenden County emphasized they were continuing to provide services during the pandemic.
The city is also seeing an increase in burglaries, with 15 between March 1 and April 15 compared to eight last year. But there were 14 burglaries during that period in 2018 and 11 in 2017 — so while it is a substantial increase over last year it is not significantly abnormal, Morrison said.
Morrison said that around 35% of burglaries have been at commercial establishments during the pandemic, which is slightly higher than normal.
“We’re keeping an eye on all our businesses that are closed, and stepping up our eyes and ears in that regard,” she said.
Trespass calls are up by 33% during the pandemic. Morrison said she believed that those are connected to only a handful of individuals who have nowhere else to go and are resistant to services.
“We’re encountering some of these folks as many as 18 to 20, 24 times in a week,” she said.
While there has been an increase in domestic disturbance calls, Morrison said that there had not been an increase in criminal domestic violence. The department had been concerned that there would be an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic, she said.
“There is no crime trend uptick, so we are a little relieved by that,” she said.
Domestic disturbance calls are up from 47 last year to 63 this year in the March 1 to April 15 period. Morrison said she believes arguments between roommates and between parents and their children are increasingly being classified as domestic disturbances.
“With the kids home all the time, perhaps some situations are getting more vocal and neighbors are calling us when in the past we would not have been going to those calls,” she said.
Morrison said that the department was educating and seeking voluntary compliance from those violating the governor’s order.
“We’ve had very, very good success with that, using the powers of persuasion, we’ve generally been able to ask people for their compliance, and it has worked,” she said.
When the city announced its ability to fine, Weinberger said that there had been a small minority of individuals in the city who had not been following the governor’s social distancing order.
Morrison said that city residents overall were doing a very good job following the governor’s order in recent weeks.
“We’re really thankful to Burlingtonians for toeing the line and doing everything they can to keep our community safe,” she said.
