Crime and traffic violation numbers change as virus spreads
As COVID-19 continues to spread within Pennsylvania and Greene County, the Waynesburg Police Department is adapting to changes enforced by the government and reactions people have to the changes in their daily lives.
“We haven’t had many issues,” said Chief Tom Ankrom of Waynesburg Police Department. “For the most part, I feel like people are doing what is asked of them by the government, and I hope it continues. If it does, we should be in good shape.”
Ankrom said that crime in the borough stayed relatively steady, with increases in certain areas and a definite decrease in traffic issues.
“We are seeing a little bit of an uptick in domestic disputes at home, which I assume comes from everyone being cooped up in a house together,” he said.
Ankrom said there has also been a slight increase in thefts, specifically car thefts. Ankrom speculates, however, that the increase is not because of the coronavirus cases in the county.
“If you get one person doing it, you’ll have an uptick until you catch them. When you catch them, then it’ll go away again. It’s just a matter of figuring out who did it,” Ankrom said. “I don’t even know if I want to attribute the [recent thefts] to the recent pandemic. It just so happened that that person started stealing at the same time.”
Due to fewer people coming into town, traffic has decreased, and there are fewer parking issues, said Ankrom.
While he said he could not comment on crime in the county in general, Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms said traffic offenses have lowered in number within Greene County.
“Due to the reduced amount of traffic, our office has had a reduced amount of traffic offensives observed and/or cited,” Simms said. “I would expect to continue to see a decreased amount of traffic until the restrictions placed on businesses are lifted.”
Ankrom said that because the future is unknown, he must make “adjustments on the fly” to adapt to what the government dictates and how the people react. Overall, Greene County has been reacting well to the spread of the virus.
“It’s all fluid. I don’t know how long this lockdown will last or how tight it is. If it gets to the point where people are being forced to stay in their houses, who knows [what will happen],” Ankrom said. “I’ve never experienced it. I basically have to make adjustments on the fly with what the officers are doing based on what’s going on.”