(Editor's note: The Fairlawn Heights Crime Trends Report is part of the Akronist's new Digital Block Watch program, a free resource for residents to schedule meetings and discuss community safety. To enroll your neighborhood in the program, contact Diane Evans at .)
Although break-ins in Fairlawn Heights increased in the first half of 2011, Akron police say the neighborhood’s burglary rate has been low in the second half of the year and they emphasize that this neighborhood is among the safest places in the city.
Akron police Detective Steven Null said that in the second half of 2011, there were few burglaries in Fairlawn Heights, with no reports in July, August or October.
In late November, a dirt bike was taken from a home on Ridgewood Road where a garage door had been left open. A 20-year-old suspect was arrested on Miller Road with the dirt bike and charged with theft and burglary.
In September, a resident of Lownsdale Avenue, near West Akron’s border with Fairlawn Heights, returned home at the end of the workday to discover a window had been broken and an iPad, a Wii game system and $60 in cash were missing. No arrests have been made in that case.
Meanwhile, police have made one arrest, and are pursuing a second possible suspect, as a result of investigations from burglaries in and around Fairlawn Heights in the first half of the year.
In an earlier story, the Akronist.com examined Akron police reports in the Fairlawn Heights area in two six-month periods: January through June 2010 and January through June 2011.
There were five burglary reports in the first half of 2011, with five additional reports on the fringes. The records noted burglary/break-in reports on Inverness Road (two), Sout Meadowcroft Drive, Ridgewood Road and West Market.
In the Meadowcroft incident, guns were stolen but were recovered and will be returned to the owner after testing to determine their operability. The guns were recovered in Canton and an arrest was made.
Police have made progress on a few other incidents in the area reported previously on the Akronist. This includes two burglary/break-in reports of properties near the Frank Boulevard overpass that extends across Schocalog Road: One on Frank and the other on Audubon Road. An arrest was made in the Frank Avenue case on May 6. Although the Audubon case is ongoing, a potential suspect has been identified.
Detective Null said some burglary reports in the first half of 2011 involve the removal of copper pipes, especially from vacant homes. The Akron police department reports that it rarely pursues those cases unless there is a known suspect. The losses are typically covered by homeowners’ insurance.
Null also emphasized that as in the Lownsdale case, most home burglaries in all areas occur during the workday, when homes are more likely to be unoccupied. He encourages neighbors to be aware of any unknown persons or vehicles in the area so they are able to provide a description to the police in case a crime does occur.
RELATED STORIES
Fairlawn Heights sees increase in burglaries
Akron residents vent concerns to deputy mayor at mobile town hall event
