Joplin Theft Cases Increase In January
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: February 22, 2013
JOPLIN, MO-- Joplin police saw an increase in theft cases last month... even while numbers are going down for some high profile trends. General theft cases - officially logged as larceny - are up 9% in January compared with the same month last year. It's 14 more cases than in 1/2012. But there were also decreases in the month... with just five cases of stolen copper wiring or ac units, much lower than the 22 reported in December. The Joplin police chief says a warmer January could play a role in the overall trend.
Chief Lane Roberts said, "Criminals generally speaking are fair weather kinds of people. They're not out a whole lot when it's snowy and real cold. So the fair weather may have made a contribution."
Shoplifting was the single biggest category - covering 77 of 171 crimes reported. Clothing and electronics were most likely to be stolen.
