Burglar Busters: Special Everett police unit seeing great success

EVERETT-- The Burglary reduction Unit is a new addition to the Everett Police Department and these men are going after the bad guys like never before. In just the past four months, they’ve had unprecedented success. Detective Mike Atwood with the unit says, “We started September 11th and since then we’ve made right around four hundred arrests.” Detective Atwood is one of four full time officers assigned to the unit. Their primary focus are home burglaries and other property crimes. And they stay very busy. “When I first started, Friday and Saturdays were the nights to work, but it’s gotten to the point where on any given night you never know what you’re going to get. It’s pretty constant”, Atwood explains. In 2011, property crimes in Everett numbered almost 8,000, but as of later 2012, those statistics came down to under 7,000 thanks in part to this unit who says the reason for their success isn’t complicated. Atwood explains, “It’s basic police work. It’s stuff you learn at the academy. It’s all about getting out of your car and talking to people. We’re all about having an Everett PD uniform on. We’re all about knocking on doors. We’re all about having people get to know us.”