Summer 2017
Members of the BEAR Unit also noticed that it was not uncommon for suspected burglars to be in possession of nu- merous identification cards, social security cards, credit cards and pre-paid debit or green dot cards. Numerous burgla- ry investigations have led to fraud cases where burglars stole identities, opened additional bank accounts or utilized green dot cards to receive direct deposit funds from fraudulent activity such as fraudulent tax returns and fraudulent unemployment claims. It became clear that not all burglaries were kids looking for electronics or drug addicts looking for their next fix; a good many of our burglaries were conducted by organized fraud rings looking to steal identities in order to further identity theft and fraud related crimes. BEAR Unit members allied with their partners in federal law enforcement and brought cases to the Southern District of Florida for federal prosecution and meaningful jail time.
Results The BEAR Unit was temporarily approved for a nine-month trial basis whose end coincided with the start of the de- partment’s budgeting process. If the BEAR Unit could prove its worth during this trial basis, the unit would receive per- manent unit status and funding. The department’s goal was a 5% reduction in residential and vehicle burglaries. This was a lofty goal considering the first few months of the trial period would be spent selecting, training and equipping the members of the unit. Every day the BEAR Unit was not functioning, the department lost an opportunity to de- crease the burglary rates. Despite this, the department realized an 8% reduction in residential burglaries and a 21% reduction in vehicle burglaries between 2011 and 2012. Although these numbers exceeded the 5% reduction the de- partment had hoped for, the command staff felt that the BEAR Unit was just hitting its stride at the end of 2012. The unit had identified both internal and external burglars, gathered intelligence on organized burglary rings and devel- oped clear patterns and methods of operation for burglaries. The longer the BEAR Unit existed, the better they got. In 2016, the Coral Springs Police Department reported 168 residential burglaries and 420 vehicle burglaries on the Uni- form Crime Report. This equated to a 68.8% reduction in residential burglaries and a 36% reduction in vehicle burgla- ries when compared to the 2011 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) numbers. To be fair, the Coral Springs Police Depart- ment also implemented other crime reduction strategies such as our “Make a Call, Make a Difference” program that most assuredly had an impact on the city’s burglary rates, but it is this writer’s belief the BEAR Unit took a big bite out of the burglary rate.
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