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In preparing the first draft of our 2007 Report, I reflected back on this past year looking for specific noteworthy examples to mention. To us, there were many small accomplishments too numerous to mention. However, one significant milestone stood out which does impact residents of the Town as well. We purchased a temporary office trailer due to space concerns and inserted it at the rear of the police side of the Safety Complex. Our Special Investigations Unit (S.I.U.) was then moved into the new quarters, thereby freeing up valuable space inside the
Complex for other functions. We have reached maximum potential inside our facility and can do little else with the current space allocated. This past year we also applied to the State for dredge and fill permits (paid for by Impact Fees) to fill an existing drainage pond on site in preparation for future Safety Complex construction/expansion.
Our Prosecution Unit performed superbly this past year by closing out 503 cases with 881 charges for Plaistow alone. There are still several hundred open cases pending for Plaistow due to trials, defaults, arrest warrants, and so forth.
Crime Statistics for 2007 |
Murder/Manslaughter |
0 |
Burglary |
47 |
Theft/Robbery |
276 |
Motor Vehicle Theft |
35 |
Criminal Mischief |
151 |
DWI |
28 |
Motor Vehicle Accidents |
512 |
Alarms (Police) |
822 |
Assaults |
64 |
Sexual Assaults |
25 |
Traffic Citations |
428 |
Motor Vehicle Stops |
2,724 |
Domestic Calls |
102 |
Our Victim Witness Advocate, a Federally-Funded Grant position, handled a total of 527 clients this past year, with 203 originating from Plaistow alone. The client contacts occurred as a result of domestic violence, sexual assaults, restitution, witness notifications, stalking, and so forth. Her client services and networking skills are exemplary and very comforting to victims.
The Communications Center, capably staffed by six well-trained dispatchers, provides emergency services for Plaistow and Atkinson around the clock and “are there” when callers need police or fire response. The six dispatchers represent a total of over 50 years of combined experience, a testament to their dedication to the Town of Plaistow and the Department.
Our yearly calls for service average over the past six-years for police is 13,553 and for fire is 961. As can be seen, the numbers fluctuate up and down largely due to staffing shortages in Patrol, area economic conditions, drug issues, area growth patterns, and so forth.
Our Special Investigations Unit (S.I.U.) registered 11 Assault/Sexual Assault investigations, 20 Robbery/Burglary investigations, 81 Theft/Receiving Stolen Property investigations, 20 Fraud cases, and 6 Drug cases. The unit also handled 364 calls for service, registered 7 sex offenders, issued 10 Secondhand Dealer Licenses, and processed an estimated 11,000 pawn transactions. These transactions are distributed to over 50 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
S.I.U Cases January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2006 |
|
Assaults/Sexual Assault |
11 |
Burglary/Robbery |
20 |
Theft/Receiving Stolen Property |
81 |
Fraud |
20 |
Drug |
6 |
Secondhand Dealer Licenses |
10 |
Pawn Transactions |
11,000 |
Sex Offender Registrations |
7 |
Calls for Service |
364 |
Our training component for all staff personnel in 2007 grew to 2,060 hours, which reflects our commitment to providing superior technical education to staff members.
Master Police Officer Alec Porter and his teammate, Stryker, are a familiar sight to all in Town and are a source of much good will throughout the year. To remain on “top of their game”, the team trained for 435 hours during the year, conducted 22 tracks, 16 drug searches, 15 building searches, and conducted 7 K-9 demonstrations for the public for a total of 60 K-9 deployments. We continue to work on Stryker’s anticipated retirement and his replacement, hopefully, in 2008.
The School Resource Officer Program at Timberlane Regional High School continues to provide safety and security to students, staff, and visitors as in previous years. There is a definite need to expand these services into the Timberlane Regional Middle School with the addition of a new officer in a near-future year.
The Animal Control function was transferred to the Police Department for oversight responsibility in 2006-2007. ACO David Sargent has risen to the task admirably by being a visible ACO in providing directed patrols to handle neighborhood dog complaints and aggressively pursuing annual animal licensing scofflaws.
During the year, we worked diligently to improve our Police link to the Town’s website and we encourage our readers to visit the link. We also are considering adding a citizen survey to our link and would encourage candid responses. In order for us to improve services, we need your constructive criticisms.
Department members also completed a staffing study which clearly demonstrates a patrol staffing shortage of 4-6 officers which we hope can be corrected over the next three years.
Finally, it is my hope that we as a Department continue to improve on our delivery of services each and every year through training, self-examination, constructive criticism, and personal drive to achieve excellence. We are all stake holders in this Department and your support of us is evident each and every day and very much appreciated.
Respectfully submitted,
Stephen C. Savage
Chief
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