In the Chestertown Police Department’s newly released 2011Annual Report, 13,124 “calls for service” were recorded. or 1,534 more calls than the previous year.
While this is only the second time since 2006 that calls for service have exceeded 13,000, the CPD reports that violent crimes and serious property crime dropped from 2010 figures by 6% in 2011, and by 1% for less violent crimes such as forgery, driving under the influence, public drunkenness, vandalism, and vagrancy. The CPD’s solvability rate for serious crimes committed in 2011 was 37%, which is above the national average of 30%..
The wards with the highest percentage of calls for service were Ward 3 with 5,751 calls and Ward 2, with 4,602 calls.
The CPD report highlighted the the adult crimes that they deemed to be the most severe to include three armed robberies, thirteen resisting arrests, twelve reckless endangerments, eleven deadly weapon violations, six sex offenses, six robberies, two false imprisonments, a single case of poisoning, and a single case of stalking.
The severe juvenile charges are as follows; 1 resisting arrest, 1 robbery, and 1 weapons violation.
It is also to be noted that during November of 2011, all but one of the remaining suspects from the 2010 Washington College burglaries was charged with 75 counts of burglary and 20 counts of theft. The charges could not be made until 2011, which is why they were reported for that year’s report.
LJ Burgess says
Snowman assaults will probably be down with all that warm weather we had late last year. I wonder how we stack up against nationwide trends in that category?
Joe Diamond says
I think it is appropriate to note spikes in reports such as the numerous individual charges related to a single suspect.
The Snowman incident suggests something else. At public events such as the Tea Party, parades, waterfront events…stuff like that, I see way too many cops! While we live in a world where their presence is needed it is the tactic of setting up a “Fort Apache” with barricades in central view that I feel needs a look. I think foot patrolmen with radios or other plans would allow deploying officers as needed without creating the impression that there is such a danger of bad behavior that the strike force is present and about to jump.
Had this same conversation with a secret service agent in D.C. recently. The emphasis there was, “what are you going to do with an automatic weapon on a crowded street.”
Joe
Alex Smolens says
[i] violent crimes such as forgery, driving under the influence, public drunkenness, vandalism, and vagrancy. [/i]
Those are violent crimes now? Someone is really pushing the definition.
Joe Diamond says
Alex,
It is all in the execution!
I remember the time I wasn’t doin nuttin. So I whipped out this pen and bounced a check for a car and a bottle of Jack. Things went well until I mistook a car wash for a McDonalds. I rolled down the window to order and the car filled with water….so I floored the gas and drove through the brushes and a few benches to get outa there. Since the car was wrecked I walked over to the park to finish the Jack.
That is when the cop asked what I was doin…………..when I said nuttin he put the cuffs on…..
It goes like that,
Joe