Two teen boys wanted for multiple burglaries, thefts and stolen vehicle cases were arrested Tuesday morning — one with a loaded handgun in his waistband, Madison police said.
At around 11 a.m. Tuesday, members of the Gang and Neighborhood Crime Abatement Team received information that boys, 15 and 13, were at an apartment in the 6800 block of Milwaukee Street. Coincidently, an officer also was sent to the unit on a property damage complaint, and the teens were spotted inside during that call, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a statement.
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When the boys were arrested, a loaded handgun was found in the waistband of the 13-year-old, Fryer said.
The 15-year-old male was arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without consent, operating a motor vehicle without consent (passenger), criminal damage to property and theft from auto, as well as a Department of Corrections hold, Fryer said.
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The 15-year-old previously was arrested on stolen auto charges, including an incident last summer in which a stolen vehicle crashed on the Beltline and the occupants ran into a nearby movie theater, Fryer said.
The 13-year-old was arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without an owner’s consent and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, Fryer said.
Detectives in the department’s Burglary Crime Unit have been working on multiple cases involving the teens and more charges are possible as the investigation continues, Fryer said.
A runaway teen also was located in the apartment, Fryer said.
The teens were taken to the juvenile jail for an initial assessment. Authorities did not indicate whether they were placed in detention or released.
The cities with the most break-ins and burglaries
Cities With the Most Break-Ins / Burglaries
Despite perceptions of rising crime, theft has become far less common in recent years than it used to be, and property crime rates declined even more sharply during the pandemic. That said, there are still hotspots where break-ins and burglaries are far more common than the typical American neighborhood. While approximately 400 burglaries and 1,700 larceny-thefts per 100,000 people annually have been the national norm over the past five years, there are cities in the United States that report rates double or even triple those numbers.As with anything, an understanding of what burglars are after and where they are active can help keep the trend heading lower. Over the last decade, the number of larceny-thefts fell nearly 20% from 6.3 million to 5.1 million, and the number of burglaries were cut in half from 2.2 million to 1.1 million, according to FBI statistics from 2015 to 2019. And it’s not a new trend. Since 1993, property crimes declined dramatically—55% to 71% depending on which source of stats you look at, Pew Research found.
Over the past decade burglary and larceny rates have declined
Looking at the past five years of crime data, burglars were about twice as likely to target a home than a business or other building, and nearly half of all burglaries occurred during broad daylight. Once in, thieves were often after two items in particular: money and jewelry. Together, those valuables were worth more than the remaining top categories of stolen goods combined. Of those other items, office equipment, electronics, and clothing were common targets.
Daytime break-ins of homes are most common
Protecting your home and taking initiatives to deter potential burglars are obvious steps to fight crime, but choosing a safe location to begin with is one of the most important factors. For example, burglaries occur in New York, New Hampshire, and Virginia less than half as many times as the national average, while residents of New Mexico, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana are burglarized nearly twice as often. In general, states in the South have higher-than-average property crime rates, and the states in the Northeast enjoy the lowest theft rates of any region in America.
Southern states experience the most property crime
To find out which cities were hotspots for theft, researchers at Porch analyzed data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program between 2015 to 2019 and then calculated the average number of burglaries and larceny-thefts per 100,000 residents. For comparison, cities were divided into three groups based on population. Here are the 15 U.S. cities with the most burglaries.
Small and midsize cities with the most burglaries
15. Dallas, TX
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 752 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 1,925 Average annual burglaries total: 10,044 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 25,729
14. Houston, TX
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 763 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,931 Average annual burglaries total: 17,762 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 68,295
13. Las Vegas, NV
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 782 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 1,608 Average annual burglaries total: 12,618 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 26,052
12. Columbus, OH
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 782 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,558 Average annual burglaries total: 6,833 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 22,374
11. Minneapolis, MN
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 818 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,950 Average annual burglaries total: 3,445 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 12,438
10. Milwaukee, WI
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 828 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 1,794 Average annual burglaries total: 4,943 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 10,710
9. Wichita, KS
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 841 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 3,935 Average annual burglaries total: 3,289 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 15,381
8. Kansas City, MO
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 872 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,592 Average annual burglaries total: 4,216 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 12,577
7. Oklahoma City, OK
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 918 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,532 Average annual burglaries total: 5,936 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 16,364
6. Bakersfield, CA
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,014 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,471 Average annual burglaries total: 3,869 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 9,425
5. Seattle, WA
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,064 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 3,583 Average annual burglaries total: 7,669 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 25,807
4. Baltimore, MD
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,132 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,772 Average annual burglaries total: 6,927 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 16,942
3. Detroit, MI
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,168 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 2,161 Average annual burglaries total: 7,825 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 14,471
2. Tulsa, OK
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,314 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 3,351 Average annual burglaries total: 5,302 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 13,518
1. Memphis, TN
Average annual burglaries per 100k: 1,384 Average annual larceny-thefts per 100k: 4,070 Average annual burglaries total: 9,056 Average annual larceny-thefts total: 26,609
Jeff Richgels | Wisconsin State Journal
Online Reporter/Producer for Wisconsin State Journal
