When it comes to solving cases and catching bad guys, the Oakland County Sheriff’s substation in Oxford Twp. is Number One.

That’s not bragging. That’s what the numbers show.

Oxford’s substation had the highest clearance rate of the sheriff’s 12 substations for 2016.

A total of 62.1 percent of the criminal cases were cleared, or closed.

That means the cases either resulted in an arrest or were cleared by exceptional means, meaning there were reasons beyond law enforcement’s control that prevented an offender from being arrested and formally charged, such as a victim’s refusal to cooperate or the prosecutor denying a warrant.

A total of 314 crimes were reported to the Oxford substation last year. Of those, 122 resulted in arrests and 73 were cleared by exceptional means, according to Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Wundrach.

“I’m happy that our substation’s at the top of the list,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Lenz, Oxford’s second in command.

Oxford beat out substations in neighboring Addison (52.94 percent), Orion (51.65 percent), Brandon (59.67 percent), Oakland (44.74 percent), Independence (45.07 percent) and Commerce (48.54 percent).

A total of 136 crimes were reported to the Addison substation. Of those, 48 resulted in arrests and 24 were cleared by exceptional means, according to Wundrach.

Springfield Township’s substation had the lowest clearance rate at 42.86 percent.

Wundrach noted the crimes that “really throw (the clearance rates) off” in “smaller communities” are often committed by youths such as larcenies from autos, breaking and entering, and malicious destruction of property.

“Kids can (damage) 30 mailboxes and now, you got 30 reports and if you don’t catch them, those are 30 uncleared cases,” he said. “They can really skew the numbers.”

Lenz, who’s been assigned to Oxford since last June, gave much of the credit to Substation Commander Lt. Scott Patterson’s leadership and the hard work of Det. Shane Freiberg, former Det. Jason Louwaert (who now works the road as a deputy) and his predecessor, Sgt. Jerry DeRosia.

Lenz also gives a lot of credit to community members for being so “cooperative and forthcoming” when it comes to identifying suspects and providing useful tips. “When something happens, it always seems like somebody knows something,” he said.

That “open line of communication” and “trust” that’s been forged between citizens and the sheriff’s office has been invaluable, in his opinion.

Lenz noted even the local criminals and suspects he deals with have been very accommodating. “I’ve built a list of confidential informants up here very quickly, which is not easy to do in other communities,” he said. “I’ve got people calling me all night, every night.”

The sergeant doesn’t mind getting calls or text messages at all hours because he believes in being relentless when it comes to solving certain cases.

“I’ve got three basic rules – don’t break anything, don’t steal anything and don’t hurt anyone,” he said. “I’ve got a zero tolerance for anybody that does that. I’ll work the case 24-7. I’ll catch that person. You break one of those three, I’m going to put you in jail or prison.”

Lenz said he’s “instilled” that same ethic in the officers that serve under him.

“This is a nice community,” he said. “We don’t have room (for those who steal, vandalize property and hurt others). That’s not what Oxford Township is about. That’s just not acceptable up here.”

Although Lenz is pleased the Oxford substation is doing so well when it comes to closing cases, he believes there’s still room for improvement. “I would like to see that (clearance rate) higher,” he explained. “I understand there’s crimes that are really hard or almost impossible to solve, but if they can be solved, I want every single one of them solved.”

To that end, citizens are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office if they have any information regarding a crime or suspicious activity.

“A lot of cases are solved off tips like that,” Lenz said. “If you see something, say something.”

Officers are typically not present when most crimes are committed, so they must rely upon information provided by others.

“We can’t do it alone,” Lenz said. “We can only go off what other people saw, what they heard. If people aren’t willing to talk to us, it’s very hard to solve crimes.”

The sergeant wants people to know his door is always open and they should feel free to contact him.

“I encourage people to call me if they know of any criminal activity or even somebody they suspect is doing something wrong. Call me, let me know who they are,” he said.

The office number for Lenz is (248) 969-6952.