The Northeast Operations Division of the Dallas Police Department conducted its Quarterly Crime Summit on April 22 at the Dallas First Assembly of God Church on Northwest Highway. The meeting was open to all who are interested in preventing crime in the area.

Deputy Chief Jan Easterling opened the meeting with a review of the first quarter crime statistics for her division. She said that overall crime was down about 3 percent but some categories — particularly burglary of a motor vehicle and home burglaries — in Lakewood and across the Northeast are up for the first three months.

Easterling encouraged the group to report unusual activity in their neighborhood.

"We need people to report, by calling 911, when they see things that appear wrong," she said.

She gave several examples of citizens in her division that had noticed something wrong and their prompt action helped lead to an arrest of a criminal. One citizen called 911 and reported an apparent burglary across the street. She stayed on the phone with the 911 operator and was also able to get a partial vehicle license number.

As a result of her efforts, the criminal was arrested a few blocks away and all the stolen items were returned to the homeowner.