What a great fall we had this year. The holiday season is fast approaching, which is a great time of year to be with family and friends. We generally see an increase in property crimes during this time, so remember to lock your house doors and car doors at all times. Try not to keep valuables in your car, but if you have to, keep them out of sight.

The good news is that theft from autos is down by 60 percent in the first nine months of this year compared to last year, and burglaries are also down. That is a credit to the residents of the Northside.

Unfortunately, we are still having too many shots fired calls and overdoses on the Northside. We continue to investigate these calls and have made a number of arrests, but they continue. In a five-day period in September, we made five arrests and recovered three handguns just on the Northside.

The North Police District will host the city’s National Night Out event in 2018. The date will be Aug. 7, 2018, at Warner Park sometime in late afternoon to early evening. We will be partnering with the Madison Mallards. We already have the horse patrol, K-9 unit, drone demonstrations, SWAT equipment and vehicles, crime prevention material and much more. We will bring our new community trailer (purchased with a grant) that can be used for many different tasks.

This event is to bring the police and community closer, so we have a safer city. We are inviting community groups, nonprofits and neighborhood associations to join us with a booth, demonstration, etc. If you would like to join us, please contact Officer Alex Nieves Reyes at anievesreyes@cityofmadison.com or 243-5258. (By the way, there was a nice write up on her in the October edition of Brava Magazine.)

Have a joyful and safe holiday season.