Crimes in three categories rose in June, sometimes nearly doubling, in Madison's mid-town police district, according to new numbers released Monday.
In a blog post,Capt. Jason Freedman said police responded to three shots fired calls in his district in June of 2020, compared to a year ago in the same month. Citywide, shots fired calls rose to 29 from 11 in June.
"It is my belief that we will continue to see a surge in shots fired incidents, and so far July is trending that way," Freedman said.
Burglaries in the mid-town district rose to 17 in June 2020, compared to 11 in June 2019.
Thefts from autos rose to 50 in June 2020 from 27 in June 2019.
The volume of these incidents and the ongoing resources committed to daily protest activities present significant challenges to investigating these crimes, Freedman said.
COVID-19 protocols and multiple extended shifts and staffing holds (due in large part to the protests) have impacted the capacity of my team and MPD field personnel in general, he said.