Burglary rates in Dawson County are down compared to the same time period in 2011.

The information comes from the Dawson County Sheriffs Office as they look over their first quarter crime numbers compared to the same time period in 2011. The burglary rate is down 36 percent from the first quarter last year, said Captain Tony Wooten with the department.

Wooten attributes the crime rate going down to citizen involvement.

Working with the community is the important thing, he said. We have more people calling in if they see any suspicious activity. Wooten continued to say that the sheriffs office encourages interaction with residents.

Wed like to ask the public to help us, said Sheriff Billy Carlisle. We know that they know their area, where they live, their subdivision a lot better than we do. Carlisle continued to say that whenever a citizen feels there is suspicious activity going on, or if they notice a suspicious person in the area, they should call the police department.

The tip line for the sheriffs office is 706-265-4744.