Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home Police Department and Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District are starting 2017 on a high note as call loads decreased slightly during 2016.
While the number of calls to police did not shrink dramatically, the number of serious crimes reported in 2016 fell by about 27 percent from 2015, which was Sweet Home’s record year for total number of calls.
Sweet Home police responded to 9,648 calls for service in 2016, down from 10,161 in 2015, which was the highest number of calls for service in the history of the agency. The total number of calls to dispatch increased from 17,207 in 2015 to 17,708 in 2016. Those are counted as calls for service when an officer must take the call and take “substantial steps” in response.
The number of crimes designated Part I by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports – homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson –decreased from 641 in 2015 to 466 last year, a difference of 27.3 percent.
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District responded to 2,601 calls for service in 2016, down from 2,699 in 2015. The agency set its record in 2014 with 2,792 calls. .
Of the calls in 2016, 308 were fire calls, and 2,293 were medical calls. In 2015, the fire department responded to 303 fire calls and 2,396 medical calls.
The difference between the call load from 2015 to 2016 isn’t large, said Police Jeff Lynn. It’s about 500 calls, around 10 calls per week, nearly two calls per day, but it’s moving in the right direction.
“I was concerned about a continued trend upward,” Lynn said. “My hope is we’ll kind of level off and stabilize.”
The change in the number of Part I crimes is more substantial.
“(Sgt. Jason) Ogden and I just took a look at it,” Lynn said. “Can we bask in the glory? Neither of us can sit here and point to exactly why.”
Police officers are making an effort, Lynn said, and they’ve been focusing on problem solving with the community to help address various issues.
Nandina Street downtown has been a hub for a lot of problems, Lynn said, but the number of calls to the neighborhood has decreased significantly over the past year. One apartment complex has a new owner, who has increased the standards for renting there, and police are collaborating with property owners in the neighborhood.
It’s been a night-and-day difference there, Lynn said.
“It could be some people are just in prison right now,” Lynn said. “A handful of people can drive some numbers upward in a hurry.
“We’re pleased with the stats and hope it continues. Again we hope we can continue all of these trends and continue to work on and improve our problem-solving abilities. Let’s figure out some ways we can solve it for everybody.”
Sweet Home Police Department is finalizing its annual report, and additional statistics for crime, including Part II and Part III, will be available later this month, along with statistics for specific crimes.
For firefighters and medics, calls have come in waves during the year, said Fire Chief Dave Barringer. One day, they’ll answer two calls; the next, they’ll have 13.
Running near its record level for call volumes, the district is looking for grant funds to put on more staff, Barringer said. Right now, the district is seeking a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Barringer would like to hire two new medics to work 12-hour shifts during the busiest times of the day. The two would alternate three- and four-day weeks.
“That would allow us to do business inspections, pre-fire plans, hydrant flushing,” Barringer said. These are all areas in which he believes the district should be doing more.
Barringer would like to promote inspections of various public facilities in the community on an annual basis, he said, and district officials are setting up a program for businesses.
Financially, “we’re about $94,000 to the good this year,” Barringer said, but the district is looking at increasing retirement and health insurance costs.
This year, the district also will expend bond funds approved by voters in May on new vehicles, equipment and facilities. The district has yet to sell the bonds, which are repaid through property taxes.
It is currently tied up in paperwork, Barringer said.
Among priorities are new air packs for firefighters, he said. The district is seeking a grant for those. Failing to win the grant, the district will need to expend money from the bond sale to replace them. If the district wins the grant, it will be able to do more with the bond funds.