The hours between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. were the busiest time for 911 calls for police service during May, Chief Ernest Brown said during Monday's Police Committee meeting.

Forty-seven percent of the 911 calls occurred during the third watch, compared to 18 percent during the first watch (11 p.m.-7 a.m.) and 23 percent during the second watch (7 a.m.-3 p.m.).

Brown said the data supports his theory on reallocating police resources.

"It clearly suggests that one of the changes to make is creating a power shift that addresses the increase of calls during that time," Brown said. 

One way to do that would be to split the detective shift so some are on duty and available for street patrols, if necessary, during the third watch, he said. Brown declined to release specifics about the number of officers he plans to assign to each shift, but said his plan would "augment the existing third watch complement of officers."

Brown also stressed that residents play a critical role in helping to prevent crime. The frequency of car and home burglaries increases during warm weather, he said, but many times such incidents are crimes of opportunity.

He offered the following tips to help residents avoid burglaries: 

• Lock your car. Burglars will often walk past vehicles and tug at the handles to see if the doors open. 
• Keep valuables such as GPS units and purses hidden.
• Have a neighbor collect packages and other mail when you go on vacation.
• Put indoor home lights on staggered timers.
• Make sure all your home's doors—including the garage door—are closed and locked before you go to bed.
• Vary your routine so criminals can't easily track your comings and goings. 
• Make sure your dead bolts are long enough that a burglar couldn't easily pry them open.