As many of you know, one of our businessmen in town had a burglary in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 16th. We have evidence that we have collected and analyzed. We have interviewed and questioned dozens of people and new leads have arisen. I am confident that this case will be closed from an investigative standpoint in the very near future.
I would like to dispel a few myths by pointing out some facts:
1. There was an officer on duty and on active patrol when this incident occurred.
2. Business, Church, and School doors are still checked on a regular basis.
3. This was not a robbery. It was a burglary.
While it really doesn't make much difference to some whether it was a robbery or a burglary, I would urge them to look up the definition of both. I would rather be burglarized than robbed from the aspect of which is more traumatizing and more dangerous.
4. There is no "burglary ring" in Bloomfield. This was an incident perpetrated by one individual.
There was an individual who reported last week that his 4 wheeler was stolen off of his front yard. He stated that for 5 days he did not notice whether it was gone or not. He also stated that he left the keys in the ignition.
While we do our best to patrol the streets at night to prevent these things from happening, if people do not take an active step towards securing their own property there is little we can do to stop a theft from being committed by someone who is determined to complete the crime. All we can hope to do is clean up the mess afterward. Which, by the way, this department has a very good record of doing.
Keep in mind also that a lot (and I do mean a lot) of these types of crimes are committed statewide by juveniles. A police officer can not question a juvenile about a crime. The questioning must be done by an appointed juvenile officer. This can limit the scope of an investigation.
In the meantime, please do what you can to support your police department if nothing more by prayers. Pray for your community....and lock your vehicles and doors at night and when you are gone.
Thanks,
Chief
