2015 Bradley County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Incidents Reports show a substantial decrease in burglaries, and of those, a major increase in burglaries solved since Sept. 1, 2014, Sheriff Eric Watson said.
Sheriff Watson said he credits several factors in the improvements. He said, “We have more deputies than ever on the roads in Bradley County and deputies have become more familiar with the citizens, churches, schools, homes and businesses in the county.” Sheriff Watson also said a more vigorous and expanded Criminal Investigations Division, working with patrol and area citizens, is another reason.
From September, 2013 through August, 2014, the BCSO investigated 388 burglaries. Then from September, 2014 through August, 2015, the BCSO investigated 265 burglaries. That totals 123 less burglaries between September, 2014 and August, 2015 than the year before.
October of 2014 was the month the tide began to turn quickly concerning burglaries in Bradley County, when the BCSO stopped a vehicle with stolen items inside. Members of the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division began to dig further into the histories of the suspects inside the vehicle.
By the end of October, 2014, some 47 percent of the burglaries that month had been solved. Sheriff Watson lauded the ongoing cooperation of the Patrol Division with the Criminal Investigations Division.
“Each man and woman who makes up Patrol and CID with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office are eager to assist one another in any sort of investigation at any time,” he said. “That clearly has shown by the very noticeable drop in the number of burglaries in just one year’s time. A decrease of 123 burglaries means 123 fewer families, businesses, schools and churches have suffered a loss of goods they bought and paid for.”