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<p>HAZLETON &#8212; Mayor Jeff Cusat, Police Chief Jerry Speziale and the department&#8217;s officers believe crime is steadily being reduced in this city of roughly 25,000.</p><p>The numbers seem to prove them correct.</p><p>Speziale keeps track of major crimes to see if his policing strategies have been paying off.</p><p>So far, he&#8217;s seeing decreases in almost all areas since taking over the force at the beginning of 2016, including a 58 percent drop in robberies and a 52 percent decline in larceny.</p><p>Here are some crime statistics that cover Speziale&#8217;s tenure:</p><p>&#8226; Homicide: 2 (2015); 2 (2016); 1 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Forcible rape: 8 (2015); 7 (2016); 7 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Robbery: 52 (2015); 46 (2016); 22 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Aggravated assault: 40 (2015); 37 (2016); 56 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Burglary: 120 (2015); 117 (2016); 84 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Larceny (except motor vehicles): 353 (2015); 211 (2016); 171 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Motor vehicle theft: 39 (2015); 36 (2016); 30 (2017)</p><p>&#8226; Overall crime: 614 major incidents in 2015; 456 in 2016; and 371 in 2017. From 2015 to 2017, that equals a 40 percent reduction.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><em> &#8212; Source: Hazleton Police Department</em></p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Michael Reich</p><p>mreich@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Statistics show major crimes being reduced in Hazleton