An eye on crime

Recent reports of property damage and theft across the Valley seem to have some residents on edge.

On the Southern end of Carbon County, citizens of Encampment have been faced with property damage in particular. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Department is handling various reports of damage from residents. Encampment Chief of Police Kevin Shue is also on regular patrol and on duty in town.

Property damage is defined as some harm inflicted upon someone’s property as the result of another person’s negligence, willful destruction or by an act of nature. Unlike personal injuries where a person suffers physically, property damage refers to harm done to someone’s property.

Property damage could be negligent or intentional in nature. Negligent property damage for instance is a result of someone acting irresponsibly. On the other hand intentional property damage occurs when someone sets out to deliberately damage someone else’s property.

For instance having your home or car spray painted, bushes or trees being cut, perhaps even outdoor lights or windows being broken are examples of possible intentional property damage.

Once you find out your property has been damaged, contact the police to file a report. This will create a record. In most cases, a police report also will decide which party was at fault. Taking photos of the incident isn’t a bad idea. This will give you a record to go with what the police will gather. The more data you have, the greater chance that you will get a fair outcome.

The process of filing a report with your insurance company can be trickier. Especially if your property was damaged and you don’t know who was at fault. Most property owners hope they never have to file an insurance claim but there are policies in place to protect against various property damage.

While property damage reports may have some local residents on edge, others are taking the information in stride. The Sun recently spoke with one long-time local resident who wished to remain anonymous.

“These things happen from time to time no matter where you live. Every few years we might have some younger folks rebelling, but they straighten up or move on. Might get some undesirables that move in for a bit but they don’t stay too long either,” they said. “We have a close community here and we look out for our own and yours too. We dont see alot of big scary crimes here often. For that I believe a lot of folks are thankful.”

Shue seemed to echo some of these statements made in a recent phone interview.

“I’ve got a great town, my people really watch out for one another. They help keep me informed and aware of many things,” said Shue. “I’m grateful they communicate with me, being a force of one I can’t be everywhere all the time. The people of Carbon County all together really are great.”

Speaking more directly about the recent property damage reports Shue said, “There’s been more social media hype than actual reported incidents. Carbon County Sheriff’s Office received two reports that are currently under investigation. Those reports are very recent and seemingly isolated. Outside of this most of our major incidents have all been from people who aren’t from here. Just passing through it seems like, no locals that I’m aware of.”

This may ease the minds of a few residents knowing there’s not a larger issue with crime locally. Though larger incidents such as high speed gas station crashes, car chases and man hunts in recent years can not seem to be ignored. These instances leave many residents questioning if crime rates in the Valley are rising. While researching crime rates for the County it is hard to find much recent data published. Most being from 2000-2016 these numbers may not accurately represent the current crime climate. Considering world wide events such as Covid-19 and the effects of more recent data will be interesting to attane.

Speaking about the possibility of crime rates rising Shue said, “County wide we do seem to be experiencing more callouts and crime. It feels that way at least. It does seem to be related to an increase in traffic from all over the country like we haven’t seen before. We have a lot more people showing up who don’t live here and aren’t from here.”

This new traffic could be related to the year or more of lockdowns all over the country during the beginning of Covid-19 and resulting effects in months and years after, though that data is not currently available.

Recent reports of property damage may have some residents keeping a closer eye on their possessions in the southern end of the Valley. Further north with theft reports, they may be locking their doors as well. Always remember to report any damage or suspicious activity to your law enforcement office.