Frequency Of Accidents On Motorcycles

Tosa police chief looks for lessons in 2010 crime stats

Police Chief Barry Weber talked about the Wauwatosa Police Department's annual crime statistics for 2010, a year in which 30,515 calls for service came in and officers made 2,707 arrests.

"We're pretty stable over the last five years," he said. "I always wish there was less. We have more incidents, but we're also clearing more crimes."

He pointed out that violent crimes, including robberies, saw a decrease and incidents of murder and rape still remain few and far between.

In addition to providing statistics, the report reflects on the serious crimes that occurred in 2010 and identifies some trends that are affecting public safety this year.

The following is a look at some of the more significant incidents from 2010.

The year started off on a violent note when Sarah Rosio was murdered by Benjamin Germano, the father of her child. A recorded phone call between Germano and his girlfriend led to the recovery of Rosio's body in a shipping container. He fled Wisconsin and was eventually apprehended in Colorado.

Germano left a trail by selling a pair of Rosio's diamond earrings to a jewelry store. Using an online tracking system for secondhand dealers, the police connected him to the jewelry and it became key evidence that led to him pleading guilty to second-degree intentional homicide.

Earlier this summer, this case was used to help show the benefits of electronic reporting and longer waiting periods before secondhand dealers can sell goods they've taken in. There was some controversy and concern among city officials that the measures would prove too burdensome to business owners.

"If you had something that could help you solve a murder, I don't know why you wouldn't approve it," Weber said.

The number of traffic tickets handed out, 10,864, was the highest in six years, up from 6,909 in 2005. There are probably a number of reasons for this, but the fact that the Police Department now has motorcycles on the road is probably one of the biggest, the chief said.

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