Most Crime In Norwood Saw A Drop In 2017

NORWOOD, MA — Most Norwood crime stats are trending down, according to Norwood Police Chief William Brooks.

Brooks revealed the end of year statistics Tuesday during the first Norwood Board of Selectmen meeting of the year. In 2017, Norwood police responded to 16,500 incidents and wrote about 4,500 citations.

Opioid overdoses saw a 35 percent drop, decreasing from 47 in 2016 to 29 in 2017. Overdose deaths doubled from three to six.

Robberies went down from nine to two, but aggravated assaults went up from 18 to 37. The decrease of break-ins from 45 to 28 was significant, Brooks said.

Vehicle thefts remained flat, slighting going down from 25 to 24. Brooks said many of those thefts take place at the dealerships.

Larcenies over $50 are up from 234 to 279. Brooks attributed that to a rash of car break-ins in the last quarter of the year that involved unlocked vehicles.

Selectman Thomas Maloney said the statistics are in line with what the area is seeing.

Brooks also noted that police officers in Norwood stop over 4,000 cars a year and only receive eight to 10 complaints.

"My hats off to the department and the way they conduct themselves," Brooks said.

Image: File Photo