Burglaries investigated
Cottonwood Police Department has completed the investigation into numerous burglaries that had been happening within town over the past several months.  This was accomplished with the assistance of our citizens.  Local businesses had been reporting minor burglaries normally involving alcohol, tobacco, or other consumable goods being stolen.  Entry was normally through windows and there were no residences were reported being broken into.
Assistance was given to the Police Department from concerned citizens who had witnessed one of the acts in progress.  Additionally, numerous pieces of evidence at each scene were taken and processed for submittal to the Idaho State Crime Lab.
At the completion of the investigation it was determined that all of the burglary incidents were related, and that most were done by the same individuals, all minors.
There had been a group that was stealing alcohol, tobacco and other consumable goods that they would then later resell to high school age kids.  The burglary suspects were under the age of high school.  All of the parents and suspects in the cases have agreed to cooperate with the Police Department and are willing to accept the responsibility for their actions.
Several points should be made here.  Most importantly, without the involvement of the citizens of the area and their assistance the Police Department would not have been able to close these cases without additional costs in manpower and processing evidence which the City would have to bear, ultimately, that being the taxpayer.  Unfortunately, with limited staffing the process took much longer than we would have liked.  
We need you, as citizens, to be active members in crime prevention and prosecution.  Don’t rely on the other person to come forward and make a statement, YOU need to.
Second, alcohol is a HUGE problem with our youth in our community.  Any time that the younger citizens of our community make money by selling alcohol to High School kids, and make a decent profit from it, then there is a large problem.  It disturbs me, as it should you, that this event happened, but it disturbs me more that the supply and demand is there with our youth.  It’s not just Cottonwood folks, this issue is spread across multiple counties in the region.
And finally, I am impressed with the parents involved in these cases who, when told what had happened, insisted that their kids accept the responsibility for their actions.  Good parenting means good communities.  
Please, help us help you.  Close your windows, take the keys out of your cars, and watch your neighborhoods.  Be good citizens and neighbors and if you see something that is suspicious, call the police and we will come and check it out.
Yes, there are some problems here, but Cottonwood is a great community to raise a family in.
Terry S. Cochran, Chief of Police

Cottonwood, Idaho 83522
 

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COTTONWOOD
CHRONICLE
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