Violent crime and property crime were down slightly in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Hermiston Police Department.
The department released its third-quarter statistics on Wednesday that showed the number of violent crimes reported in the months of July through September was 17, down from 16 a year ago. Property crimes were at 389 during the third quarter, down from 392 a year ago. Both categories represent 1 percent decreases from the prior year. Both numbers are also significantly down from the 10-year average.
The biggest drop in reported incidents was in the robbery category with 3 reported in the third quarter of this year compared to 10 a year ago. Reported burglaries were down from 62 a year ago to 42 this year. Auto thefts increased from 19 reported cases a year ago to 33 this year. Also on the rise in the third quarter were aggravated assault with nine reported compared to four a year ago.
