Middletown, New York, Plainclothes Officers Made 229 Arrests in Four Months

Police chief John Ewanciw in his office at the Middletown Police Department in N.Y. on Oct. 13, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

Plainclothes officers made 229 arrests on three rounds of assignments between April and August in Middletown, New York, according to police chief John Ewanciw.

The offenses range from criminal possession of weapons, appearing in public under drug influence, robberies, aggravated assaults, and thefts to city code violations.

These arrests account for nearly a quarter of total arrests made by the department during the same time, according to public arrest data.

“We try to utilize officers that have a little bit more drive than others and give them this assignment to address specific crime issues. It could be an uptick in robberies, larcenies, or quality life offenses in a particular area,” Ewanciw told The Epoch Times on Oct. 6.

The chief restarted the plainclothes unit in April when warming weather typically brings a jump in crime.

For each assignment, two officers were paired to patrol neighborhoods of concern in an unmarked car, each dressed in plain clothes with a police vest on top.

Unmarked police cars sit in the parking lot of Middletown Police Department in N.Y. on Oct. 13, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

Targeting Crime Hotspots

Unlike patrol officers, plainclothes officers do not answer calls for services; rather, they focus on crime hotspots and proactively search for targeted criminal activities.

“The assignment is very fluid and based on what’s going on in our community. Maybe we just had a series of car larcenies in a certain neighborhood, or maybe people keep running the stop sign on a road where kids play,” he said.

For instance, plainclothes officers in April targeted illicit tobacco sales to minors at several convenience stores and made two arrests, Ewanciw said.

These crime hotspots are based on officer observation as well as crime maps produced by the Goshen-based Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center, one of ten crime intelligence centers run by the state, according to Ewanciw.

The center shares monthly crime analysis with local law enforcement agencies, including the Middletown Police Department—the data is about one month behind.

Plainclothes officers also work with the narcotics unit and detectives to collect intelligence and apprehend suspects.

“If detectives know that a suspect frequents an area targeted by the plainclothes officers, they can share the description and have the officers keep an eye on them,” Ewanciw said.

Police vehicles park outside the Middletown Police Department in N.Y. on Oct. 13, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

During the first assignment from the beginning of April to the end of May, plainclothes officers made 86 arrests.

The second July assignment led to 75 arrests. That same month, the city also saw—for the first time since March—a reduction in Part One crimes—like murder, rape, robbery, burglary, and theft—from 75 in June to 50 in July.

The August plainclothes assignment saw 68 arrests.

Rising Thefts

A persistent crime trend this year has been an uptick in thefts, which are the biggest driver of property crimes as well as Part One crimes in the city, according to Ewanciw.

Thefts, or larcenies, rose almost by half in the first eight months of this year compared to last year, from 177 to 257, according to monthly crime data published by the police department.

Many larcenies were committed by people who steal to sustain their drug habits, and the state bail reform has made it harder for them to break away from the vicious cycle, Ewanciw said.

New York passed sweeping bail reform in 2019 that eliminated cash bail for all misdemeanors and most nonviolent felonies. The reform went into effect on the eve of the pandemic.

Lieutenant Jeffry Thoelen showcased jails at Middletown Police Department to The Epoch Times on Sept. 9, 2022. He said cells were largely empty following the state bail reform. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

“Let us say you steal from ShopRite. In the past, we bring them in, they go before the judge, and—depending on the situation—they could have gone to the local county jail where treatment services are provided,” he said.

“Now, that is so far removed. They receive a ticket and return right back out onto the street, so there is a gap in providing services to people that need it—though I am not saying everybody is in that situation.”

So, the bail reform partly fueled the rising larcenies, the chief said.

Within larcenies, car theft more than doubled compared to last year.

In the past, car thefts were mostly a crime of opportunity, where offenders would rummage through a neighborhood and lift car handles to try their luck.

This year, a new trend has been an uptick in car break-ins.

One benefit of plainclothes officers, Ewanciw said, is that they can blend into the neighborhood, conduct surveillance on potential larceny suspects, and catch them in the act.

‘A Big Equation’

At the moment, the plainclothes unit operation is suspended due to low staffing levels.

Quite a few officers are in training programs now, with another two on medical leave and maternity leave.

The department has five vacancies—one just retired the week of Aug. 10. Three new officers are in field training and won’t be able to work on their own until December.

“I don’t have those extra staff for a plainclothes unit now. At the end of the day, I can’t take away from patrol because that is the primary focus of our police work: responding to calls for help and providing assistance to citizens,” Ewanciw said.

“So the time of the year, the crime volume, the staffing levels—all come into play. It’s like a big equation,” he added.

Ewanciw said he hopes to get another plainclothes unit running in November.