Fairfield An Exception In A Year Where Crime Went Up Across Region
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — Crime is on the rise across the country, but in one local major city, the numbers are actually heading downward.
A list of crime stats for local cities shows where crime is getting worse, but there's green in one city—Fairfield. From 2014 to 2015, home burglaries, robberies and overall property crime are down.
But he drop that gets the most attention is violent crime.
While crimes like the one that prompted a recent SWAT standoff still happen, Fairfield is one of the few local cities to show a decrease.
Police there say they've realized something important.
"We know that we can't arrest our way out of a crime problem," said Sgt. Matthew Bloesch.
So police have been focused on stopping that problem before it becomes one, reaching young people before they might choose the wrong path.
"We work in conjunction with the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District to address issues with our youth," he said.
They focus on the Police Activities League, a youth homeless intervention program and a stepped up presence on social media.
"For the cops, we need to get out of the office," he said. "We need to get out of the car; we need to have that face-to-face, and these programs allow that to happen."
Fairfield did see an increase in one growing crime in the region—identity theft.