Duluth Crime Suppression Unit Making City Safer

The Duluth Police Department is not only enforcing laws, but preventing crime through its Crime Suppression Unit (CSU), according to an announcement issued by the department.

In 2010, certain crimes in the city limits as well as Gwinnett County were rising. Recognizing this, Chief Randy Belcher tasked his staff with coming up with ways to combat the increase, specifically for burglaries, entering autos, and vehicle thefts. Saturated patrols and overtime details were implemented, but the problem crimes were not being reduced satisfactorily.

In October 2010, a specialized unit to combat the rise in crimes was formed. Initially, a four-officer unit was created and placed in plain clothes and undercover vehicles. The unit was originally activated as Crime Suppression Officers on Oct. 25.

The name was later changed to the Crime Suppression Unit, and the number increased to six officers. This is the first Crime Suppression Unit to be formed by any Gwinnett city, the announcement stated.

Since inception of this unit the reduction in crime has been significant. “We feel that this unit has made quite an impact on our crime statistics,” said Lt. Jackie Hood. “The undercover officers have a distinct advantage over the uniformed officers because they are able to sneak up on criminals before they even know they are being watched.”

“Just a few months ago, one of our undercover officers caught two burglars in the process of stealing thousands in electronics and other items from an apartment. Our uniformed officers would have been spotted long before the undercover officers, and in this case all of the stolen items were able to be returned,” she said.

Comparing 2010 and 2011 numbers, the Duluth Police Department reported the following reduction in crimes:

• Residential & Commercial Burglaries – Down 37%
• Entering Autos – Down 24%
• Vehicle Thefts – Down 43%
• Larceny – Down 16%

Aggressive police patrol and traffic law enforcement are credited with contributing to the decreases in the announcement.

In January, Chief Belcher decided to add two additional officers to create a larger CSU unit to attempt to reduce the crime rate even more. This unit will operate out of the department’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and take on additional crimes.