By KEVIN NEVERS

Life was quieter, safer, and on the whole more civil last year in the Town of Chesterton, at least according to the Chesterton Police Department’s 2007 annual report.

In a range of quality-of-life categories both crimes and complaints declined from the previous year, and in some cases declined dramatically.

Begin with the general decline in property crime: incidents of vandalism fell from 270 in 2006 to 244, a decrease of 10 percent; while burglaries dropped from 55 to 45, a decrease of 19 percent, despite the well publicized rash of business burglaries last summer and fall in the Downtown. Thefts were perfectly stable: 360 reported in 2006, the same in 2007.

There was a corresponding decline as well in crimes against persons: batteries dropped from 54 in 2006 to 47, a decrease of 13 percent; while sex offenses fell from 14 to eight, a decrease of 43 percent. As in 2006, no robberies were reported, compared to five in 2005.

In one category, however, there was a shocking and disconcerting spike: domestic calls nearly doubled, rising from 79 in 2006 to 150, an increase of 90 percent.

In other respects, though, the neighborhoods were more peaceful: animal complaints dipped from 210 in 2006 to 201, a decrease of 4 percent; noise complaints dropped from 126 to 97, a decrease of 23 percent; and miscellaneous juvenile complaints plummeted from 548 to 373, a whopping decrease of 32 percent.

Possibly the drop in crimes and complaints can be attributed, at least in part, to a combination of increased vigilance on the part of citizens and increased enforcement on the part of officers. Thus reports of suspicious circumstances rose from 451 in 2006 to 473, an increase of 5 percent; reports of suspicious persons climbed from 258 to 305, an increase of 18 percent; and driving complaints jumped from 386 to 426, an increase of 10 percent.

For their part officers issued 1,244 citations last year, compared to 986 in 2006, an increase of 26 percent; and 1,345 warnings, compared to 1,288 in 2006, an increase of 4 percent. Oddly perhaps, on the other hand, the total number of traffic stops dropped, from 2,345 in 2006 to 2,205, a decrease of 6 percent.

Increased enforcement may have had a favorable impact on accidents last year, when officers investigated 424 crashes, compared to 453 in 2006, a decrease of 6 percent; and reported 80 injuries, compared to 106 in 2006, a decrease of 25 percent. The number of fatalities remained unchanged from the previous year: two.

Other categories in 2007:

•Total calls: 13,111, compared to 11,919 in 2006, an increase of 10 percent.

•Cases filed: 1,157, compared to 1,152 in 2006, an increase of less than 1 percent.

•Felony charges filed: 99, compared to 85 in 2006, an increase of 16 percent.

•Misdemeanor charges filed: 389, compared to 315 in 2006, an increase of 23 percent.

•Warrants served: 84, compared to 99 in 2006, a decrease of 18 percent.

•Cases assigned to the Investigations Division: 234, compared to 356 in 2006, a decrease of 34 percent.

•Percentage of cases closed by Investigations Division: 62 percent, compared to 50 percent in 2006.

•Juvenile cases assigned: 275, compared to 339 in 2006, a decrease of 19 percent.

•Percentage of juvenile cases closed: 89 percent, compared to 83 percent in 2006.

Posted 1/17/2008