Three specific crimes are happening in north Columbus neighborhoods.
Diana Cochran has lived off Joyce Avenue in Northeast Columbus for nearly 12 years. But lately, Diana says she’s grown concerned over the safety of her family, including her one-year-old son Tyler.
“There were two break-ins,” she says, talking about the recent crime percolating in the past two weeks. “Somebody kicked in someone’s back door, down the street from me.”
The home was actually just three doors down from Diana’s home near Joyce and Duxberry Roads, a neighborhood south of Hudson Avenue, where pride can be seen with the freshly mowed lawns and front porches filled with children’s toys.
A recent neighborhood block watch email alerted homeowners to three specific crimes happening in the area classified by Columbus Police as Zone 4. It is bordered by 5th Avenue to the south, OSU and Sunbury Road to the west and east, and part of Morse Road to the north.
But in precinct 5 – where Diana lives – the number of home burglaries doubled in the past two weeks, according to the latest crime statistics, from 14.2 to 29 in the bi-weekly average. That is a 104% increase, considered “very high” activity level, according to CPD.
“We just make sure we have someone here all the time,” says Diana about what her family does to stay safe. “And we stay together.”
Other neighborhoods that saw an increase in activity over this same time frame include Precincts 2 and 4.
Within precinct 2, east of 315 in the East North Broadway neighborhood, CPD crime statistics showed nine people were robbed from August 30 to September 12, an 80% increase from the bi-weekly average of 5.
And in precinct 4, which covers mostly the Ohio State University off-campus area, a cluster of 11 car thefts popped up east of High Street, a 136% increase from the bi-weekly average of 4.7 and classified by CPD as a “very high” activity level.
Columbus Police caution people to take these numbers with perspective in mind. Smaller numbers can show larger percentage increases with just two or three instances. Part of the reason behind the spike is because school went back in full session those first two weeks of September, meaning fewer people at home and more criminals on the prowl.
Diana Cochran says the recent break-ins have her considering joining the neighborhood block watch.
“It'll let me learn more about the neighborhood and get me closer to some of the people in the community.”
Top 3 Crimes Throughout North Columbus Neighborhoods
1. Home Burglaries (Precinct 5)
2. Car thefts/theft from autos (Precinct 4)
3. Robberies (Precinct 2)
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