Sean C. Morgan
The number of calls for service to the Sweet Home Police Department increased by about 7 percent last year.
The department responded to 8,414 calls for service in 2013, according to its recently released annual report. In 2012, police responded to 7,865 calls. The 10-year peak and department record for calls was 9,547 in 2005.
In key crimes, criminal mischief was down to 130 in 2013 from 162 in 2012.
The number of thefts increased from 402 in 2012 to 426 in 2013 after a decrease from 419 in 2011.
Theft reports are more common than police would like them to be, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. “It’s about trying to get night shift to stay active and and maintaining visibility at night,” a time at which it is relatively easy for a thief to evade detection.
The department recorded a decrease in the number of burglaries, from 107 in 2012 to 94 in 2013. Swet Home had 83 in 2011.
The number of aggravated assaults fell from 18 to just five in 2013 and robberies fell from five to three.
“I’d like to say it’s something we’re doing,” Lynn said, but the 2012 figure is anomalous in aggravated assault. The department recorded 10 reports of aggravated assault in 2011.
In the rarer crimes, individuals can cause spikes in the total number of calls. The department experienced that in 2012 after a series of burglaries committed by one young man.
That makes it difficult to draw conclusions about them, Lynn said.
Disturbances are the most common type of call where police must take action, Lynn said. Those include domestics, assaults and disorderly conduct. Police received 731 reported disturbances in 2013.
For the first time, the report breaks out activity based on time of day, Lynn said. The busiest time of day is between 2 and 4 p.m., when police responded to more than 1,200 calls in 2013.
The number of calls drops off substantially after midnight, with less than 200 recorded between 4 and 6 a.m. in 2013. The number of calls starts climbing after 6 a.m.
It confirms the wisdom of the department’s scheduling at full staffing levels, Lynn said. Fully staffed, a mid-shift officer is on between noon and midnight.
A monthly breakdown of calls show fairly consistent numbers of calls that start increasing in June to a peak in July and August and decreasing in September.
In drug activity, like elsewhere in the state, Sweet Home is experiencing an increase in heroin use, Lynn said. “We’re getting a lot more information regarding heroin use than meth.”
After years without a single arrest related to heroin, police arrested three persons in 2013 on charges related to that drug. Marijuana arrests were up from 2011 with seven to 48 in 2012. The department arrested 86 in 2011. Meth arrests were also up, 21 in 2013 from 13 in 2012.
During 2012, staffing levels were low, with a reduction from two to one detective, Lynn said. That likely accounts for the dip in drug arrest statistics. The department must prioritize among drug cases and other types of cases, such as crimes against children.
During 2013, the Police Department took over code enforcement.
“I think overall, it is going as good or better than expected,” Lynn said. “We’re really focusing on the education piece.”
People don’t understand many of the codes, Lynn said. They’re not aware they’re violating them. The department continues to respond to code enforcement complaints and is not actively looking for violations.
The department received 213 code enforcement complaints since August.
Overall, 2013 brought a number of changes, Lynn noted. Police Chief Bob Burford retired after 18 years at the helm. Lynn was promoted to the position, and he promoted Jason Ogden to sergeant. The department hired two new officers.
“For the most part, I think it’s gone well,” Lynn said. This year, the department is planning some new things, including a reserve program.
“It’s more to help just augment patrol,” Lynn said. “There’s a whole litany of things we could do if we had more people.”
A reserve program will not replace patrol, Lynn said, but he believes it can increase available manpower.
Coming up, the department is also focusing on bicycle and pedestrian safety with a grant for enforcement at crosswalks and participation in the Safe Routes to Schools effort.