Thefts and grand larceny crimes were slightly on the rise in Ripon.

Police Chief Ed Ormonde provided that latest year-to-date information of the Uniform Crime Report at the April 9 Ripon City Council meeting.

Police submit the monthly and annual crime statistics to the Department of Justice, in support of the FBI UCR program.

UCR Part 1 offenses include robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, arson, and rape.

“The UCR (Part) 1 crimes are slightly up from last year,” Ormonde said. “The majority reported were for theft and grand larceny.”

He added that the newly installed license plate readers (LPR) have been a success, getting 95 “hits” in just the first month. 

“These were for vehicle and license plate recoveries,” said Ormonde.

LPR cameras — used to monitor the various entry points — can be found in 19 locations throughout town, and are particularly effective by rapidly scanning license plates.

The LCR “hits” are information from the state-wide data base, informing local police, in this case, on stolen vehicles or stolen license plates.