Rockledge Borough Police Department Officer Dan Staley was responsible for the retrieval of a stolen car earlier this week.

According to police, Officer Staley received a radio call about a hot vehicle on Monday, January 15, after which he noticed a car fitting the description behind a business along Huntingdon Pike.

He then spoke with Mayor Jim Caffrey, who saw the same car.

Officer Staley and Officer Adrian McMenamin of the Abington Township Police Department approached the vehicle and apprehended the driver, who was later charged with Receiving Stolen Property and Drug Possession.

They also recovered the vehicle which had been reported stolen to the Philadelphia Police Department a few days prior.

Abington police housed the driver for Officer Staley and helped him with all arrest processing, the Department said. They also served as backup units during all prisoner transportation with him to make sure officer safety protocols were followed.

“This is yet another example of the Rockledge-Abington police partnership doing great work in our Borough and Township communities,” Rockledge Police Chief John Gallagher said in a post. “This quick response by Officer Staley and Officer McMenamin, and subsequent arrest, is much appreciated, and we’re grateful for Mayor Caffrey’s help, as well.”

Crime Statistics: 2022 – 2023

In related news, Rockledge Police Chief John Gallagher recently shared crime statistics in the Borough for 2023.

According to the Department’s data, there were fewer reports of rape, robbery, theft, and motor vehicle theft compared to the previous year.

Reports of aggravated assault and burglary increased from 2022.

Murder

There were no murders reported to Rockledge police in 2023, a number unchanged from 2022.

Rape

The Department received no rapes reported in 2023, down three cases from 2022.

Robbery

The Department received one robbery report in 2023, down three cases from 2022.

2023’s robbery was” domestic-related and was cleared by arrest. It wasn’t part of any type of crime pattern, and it wasn’t a threat to our community,” Gallagher said.

Aggravated Assault

The Department received three reports of aggravated assault in 2023, up two cases from 2022.

Two of the three aggravated assaults in 2023 were “domestic-related and both incidents were cleared by arrest. These incidents weren’t part of any type of crime pattern, and they weren’t a threat to our community,” Gallagher said.

Burglary

The Department received six reports of burglary in 2023, up four cases from 2022.

Gallagher said that four of the six burglaries in 2023 “occurred at the same special service business and three (3) of those four (4) burglaries were cleared by arrest and that same offender may be responsible for the fourth burglary, as well. These incidents weren’t part of any type of crime pattern, and they weren’t a threat to our community, because the offender was only targeting this particular special service business for some reason.”

Theft

The Department received 19 theft reports in 2023, down 21 cases from 2022.

Motor Vehicle Theft

The Department received four reports of motor vehicle thefts in 2023, down seven from 2022.

Arson

The Department did not receive any reports of arson in 2023 or 2022.

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Photo: Flickr