Despite burglar gang terror, crime falling in Scottsdale

Mar. 11—With news spreading from social media to TV news of "crime tourists" ransacking North Scottsdale homes, it certainly feels like a crime epidemic to some.

After a Feb. 27 town hall on "dinner-time burglaries," Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther stayed to talk to anyone with questions.

One older woman complained of how much crime is hitting the city.

"Actually," Walther responded, "we are seeing a statistical decline in crime."

The numbers back up his assertion that "The West's Most Western Town" is growing safer — not wilder.

Indeed, in 2023, Scottsdale burglaries — "The unlawful entry into a building or other structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft" — dropped by nearly 15%, compared to 2022.

Indeed, the number of burglaries has fallen 40% over the last six years.

In 2023, 526 burglaries were reported in Scottsdale — down from 616 in 2022.

"Scottsdale is a safe city," Officer Aaron Bolin, a spokesman with the police department, said.

"Scottsdale sees a lower crime rate than many cities around us."

At the forum, Walther informed the audience of around 1,200 — some 10,000 have watched the video on the city's YouTube channel — that 33 of the 131 dinner-time burglaries suspected by a gang of Chilean "crime tourists" happened in Scottsdale.

Similar crimes around the Valley have slowed since three alleged thieves from Chile were busted by Phoenix Police officers Feb. 16.

Bolin said the updated number of suspected South American Theft Gang burglaries in Scottsdale is 35, "with the latest being an attempted burglary on Feb 20.

"Our Crime Analysis Unit found a related case from December that was not previously included in the series data," Bolin added.

Almost all of the Scottsdale home burglaries took place in a rectangular shape of North Scottsdale from Shea Boulevard north through DC Ranch and Troon.

A home invasion in the exclusive Silverleaf area a few days before the forum is not believed to be part of the current "dinner-time burglaries" trend, Walther said.

According to Bolin, the most recent of the 35 South American Theft Gang crimes in Scottsdale came in mid-February.

The 35 home heists that police started charting in November should not significantly alter overall numbers, as Scottsdale has been averaging 40 to 60 burglaries per month.

"We're on pace to continue to see a decrease in property crimes in general and burglaries," Bolin said.

In 2021, 690 burglaries were reported here, seven more than the 683 in 2020.

But it's not logical to "blame the pandemic" or population growth, here.

In 2017, when the word "coronavirus" was only used by scientists and the Scottsdale population was somewhere between the 2010 census of 217,385 and 2020 count of 241,361, 878 burglaries were reported here.

Asked about the 40% drop in burglaries since then, Bolin cited communication.

"We put a lot of effort ... in working with the community on crime prevention," he said.

Crime trends

In two-thirds of the Scottsdale cases in 2023, burglars hit residences, with a little more than half of the criminals using "non-forced entry" to let themselves into the homes.

The three-hour time slot with the most banditry was 3 to 6 p.m. (91 burglaries), followed by noon to 3 p.m. (77) and 6 to 9 p.m. (72).

Most-burgled day?

Thieves struck 94 times on Fridays, falling to a seven-day low of 60 on Saturdays.

Other than speeding, the most common crime in Scottsdale is larceny: "The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession, or constructive possession, of another person."

Compared to 2022, the number of reported larcenies fell by 5% in Scottsdale.

Still, there were 4,355 reports — about a dozen a day — of shoplifting, car break ins and thefts from buildings.

In 2021, there were 4,720 larceny cases reported in Scottsdale, a four-year high.

Motor vehicle theft is another story.

In 2023, 504 cars and trucks were ripped off — a stunning 28% jump from 2022.

And the 2023 motor vehicle theft total in Scottsdale was an extraordinary 69% increase from the 299 reports in 2020.

Common sense can go a long way here, Bolin said.

"We want people to make sure to lock their vehicles, make sure they're not leaving unlocked cars with keys in the ignition," Bolin said, adding police recommend anti-theft devices, from steering wheel clubs to electronic alarms.

Fake cops

Fraud reports were also up significantly, rising by 10% to 1,936.

The category includes stealing Social Security numbers and bank account information, Bolin noted, adding the department recommends residents look at companies that specialize in identity theft protection.

One of the latest trends has a phone call fraudster pretending to be a police officer and demanding money for alleged warrants — threatening that a nearby officer is waiting to come haul the person who answered the phone to jail.

"The Scottsdale Police Department is never going to call anyone and convince them to pay for warrants over the phone," Bolin stressed.

If you get an unsolicited call, from either someone claiming to be a police officer or a bank representative, "the best advice we can give is to hang up, look up the information yourself and call your own institution, your own bank, your own credit card company, your own police department and verify the information ..."

Scammers, Bolin said, are adept at "keeping you on the phone — they're going to make the situation sound more and more desperate."

Violent crime

The most heinous offenses are also falling.

The police investigated 404 violent crime cases in 2023, down 12% from 2022.

The total of murder, aggravated assault, robbery and sexual assault cases in 2023 was a five-year low.

The number in this category did peak during the pandemic, with 537 violent crimes reported in 2021.

In 2023, victims of violent crime were most likely to be between 25 and 34, with 117 cases.

The age group least likely to be violent crime victims was 65 and older, as 24 seniors were victims of violent crime.

Murders are rare in Scottsdale, with only one homicide reported last year, down from a five-year high of seven murders in 2020.

Aggravated assaults — "An unlawful attack by one person upon another wherein the offender uses a weapon or displays it in the threatening manner, or the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness" — fell by 15% in 2023.

The total of 246 aggravated assaults reported last year was 25% less than the five-year high of 324 in 2021 — though nearly 50% above the 166 in 2019.

The number of sexual assaults reported was down 10% in 2023, with 94 reports — the first time in four years the number was under 100.

Though there is a positive trend in violent crimes, Bolin stressed SPD treats each case individually with a focus on the person wronged.

"We try to approach making victims whole again as best we can," he said.

Help wanted?

In a recent newsletter, Councilwoman Tammy Caputi asked Walther about police vacancies.

"At the height of the mass exodus from law enforcement in 2021 and 2022, Scottsdale PD reached a high of 45 police officer vacancies out of 400 sworn positions, or, about 11%," the police chief told her.

"Today, we are at 20 sworn vacancies or right at 5%."

Walther said the open positions are covered with overtime from veteran officers, adding he expects to cut the number of officer openings by half this year, "with the goal of reaching 0 sworn vacancies in 2025.

"Even in good times," noted Walther, who has spent his entire career in Scottsdale, "a police department rarely has 0 police officer vacancies."