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Police Department continued from previous page Advisory Council (NERAC) to purchase two traffic sig- nal boards; this grant was applied for in cooperation with Bedford, Lincoln and Concord. — $10,000 from the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau to fund traffic enforcement programs. — $14,989 Department of Public Health Emergency Medical Dispatch grant to help early identification of stroke victims and to obtain timely medical care at local hospitals. — $20,500 Domestic Violence Prevention grant to fund a domestic violence advocate who works closely with the Family Services Detective in Lexington. Capital Expenditures: In February, the remodeling of the joint police /fire /911 dispatch center, command office and front desk area was initiated with $840,000 approved at 2006 Town Meeting. The renovation enlarged the dispatch center to house new dispatch consoles and a new police radio network, prepared the site for the new 911 VESTA sys- tem (which includes a GPS tracking of cell phones) and upgraded the police station's telephone and LAN network. The front desk was redesigned into a smaller space and the command office was equipped to enhance the 24/7 supervi- sion necessary for a dispatch center. During the construction, the dispatch center was moved to the police guardroom from February to May, displacing other operations. By September, all operations were fully restored with minor renovations completed to provide space for report writing, sergeants and the Animal Control Officer. The project was completed as budgeted and met all major deadlines. Noteworthy Investigations: • In May, two youths were identified with breaking, enter- ing and larcenies from east Lexington homes and the Bowman School. • In June, two young adults were caught and arrested short- ly after activating fire alarms at Diamond Middle School and damaging vehicles in north Lexington. • After investigation by detectives, a felon with a long record of breaking into dwellings pleaded guilty to com- mitting three housebreaks in Lexington, as well as others in surrounding communities. • A person who had committed his fifth offense driving under the influence of alcohol (OUI) was arrested in June and later convicted. A separate sixth offense OUI convic- tion was also obtained in February. • In June, crime scene processing and the subsequent inves- tigation led to the arrest of an adult with a long criminal record for breaking into and larceny from two Bedford Street commercial buildings. • In December, a rash of six commercial breaks in Lexington Center (and surrounding communities) were quickly solved by detectives who recovered thousands of dollars in stolen property in less than one week. Two men were arrested for these thefts. • In August, two young adults were arrested for committing nine acts of malicious destruction of property; more than $1000 in damage was done to vehicles in north Lexington and to the Estabrook School. • During the year, four individuals were arrested for safe school zone violations. Officers, school resource officers and detectives routinely coordinated their efforts to iden- tify individuals distributing drugs in Lexington Center and in proximity to schools. In one case, officers worked with members of the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force in an undercover operation in Lexington Center. Two individuals were sentenced to the minimum manda- tory two years in prison. • Officers investigated three fatal accidents, in addition to one individual arrested for drunk driving after striking and severely injuring a bicyclist on Bedford Street. 2007 by the Numbers: This year showed an increase in reported crimes (938), resulting in a 16.9% increase ( +136) from 2006. Lexington was not immune to the regional trend of increased thefts of GPS systems and laptop computers from parked vehicles. The hit - and -run nature of these thefts and the inability to trace stolen GPS units continue to make it very difficult to solve these crimes. In Lexington, the breaking and entering of motor vehicles increased 55% ( +37 crimes), with larceny from vehicles increasing 69% ( +22 thefts). Thefts from homes and businesses increased 56% ( +32 crimes); many of the business thefts, however, were cleared with arrests. Town Report Statistical Figures Complaints and Calls For Service Motor Vehicle Accident Calls ................. 961 Animal Control ............................ 226 Alarms Residential /Commercial .............. 11720 Assist Fire Calls ............................ 489 Medical Assists ........................... 11231 Motorist Assists ............................ 366 Missing Persons ............................. 38 Disturbance / Disputes ........................ 291 Building /Person Checks .................... 1,187 Suspicious Activity ......................... 287 All Crimes .... ............................938 Park - Lock -Walk patrol ...................... 850 Total ......... .........................10,901 Motor Vehicle Citations Issued Warnings ............................... 21539 Civil Infractions .......................... 11346 Criminal Complaints ......................... 90 Arrests....... .............................69 Total ......... ..........................4,044 High Accident Locations (10 or more incidents with more than $1,000 damage) 2007 Annual Report, Town of Lexington Page 25