By KEVIN NEVERS

For much of 2006 the Chesterton Police Department was significantly under strength.

Two patrol officers spent time on major medical leave, one of them for nearly the whole year; a third retired in the fall, his last day on the street in August; and a fourth resigned in November to take a position with the Porter Police Department.

The CPD is well on its way to bring its muster of patrol officers to full complement: a probationary officer was hired late last year and began his field training on Dec. 1, while two other prospective hires are now before the 1977 Police Officers and Firefighters Pension and Disability Fund in Indianapolis.

Not surprisingly, though, last year saw modest declines in a range of enforcement categories, as the Police Commission learned at its meeting Jan. 17.

The salient statistics are these. Officers executed 2,345 traffic stops in 2006, compared to 2,498 in 2005, a decrease of 6.12 percent. They issued 986 citations, compared to 1,130 in 2005, a decrease of 12.74 percent. And they gave 1,288 warnings, compared to 1,258 in 2005, an increase of only 2.38 percent.

A drop in the number of traffic stops, moreover, is likely to lead to a drop in the number of arrests on charges like operating while intoxicated, driving while suspended-prior, and possession of marijuana or paraphernalia. Such was indeed the case last year. In 2006 the CPD filed 315 misdemeanor charges, compared to 361 in 2005, a decrease of 12.74 percent.

At the same time, however, the number of felony charges filed by the CPD rose substantially, from 65 in 2005 to 85 in 2006, an increase of 30.76 percent.

Certainly some of the numbers reflect the ongoing growth in Chesterton’s population. The number of suspicious circumstances reported last year rose from 427 in 2005 to 451, an increase of 5.62 percent; the number of suspicious persons reported, from 221 in 2005 to 258, an increase of 16.74 percent; and the number of driving complaints received, from 351 in 2005 to 386, an increase of 9.97 percent.

Last year also saw disquieting increases in a variety of quality-of-life categories: domestic calls rose from 73 in 2005 to 79, an increase of 8.21 percent; animal complaints, from 194 in 2005 to 210, an increase of 8.24 percent; and noise complaints, from 110 in 2005 to 126, an increase of 14.54 percent.

One category in particular showed a huge spike: miscellaneous juvenile complaints, which rose from 366 in 2005 to 548, a whopping increase of 49.72 percent. Possibly associated with that upward trend was another: vandalism complaints, which rose from 239 in 2005 to 270, an increase of 14.54 percent.

Even so, thefts dipped last year, from 391 in 2005 to 360, a decrease of 7.92 percent. But burglaries rose, from 49 in 2005 to 55, an increase of 12.24 percent.

One piece of good news: no robberies were reported to the CPD in 2006, compared to five in 2005. Reported batteries rose last year from 50 in 2005 to 54, an increase of 8 percent. So did reported sex offenses, from 11 in 2005 to 14, an increase of 27.27 percent. But suicides fell last year, from seven in 2005 to two, a decrease of 71.42 percent.

Some other categories:

•Warrants served: 99 in 2006, compared to 67 in 2005, an increase of 47.76 percent.

•Accidents investigated: 453 in 2006, compared to 441 in 2005, an increase of 2.72 percent.

•Injured in accidents: 106 in 2006, compared to 93 in 2005, an increase of 13.97 percent.

•Killed in accidents: two in 2006, compared to none in 2005 and two in 2004.

•Total number of calls to which officers responded, including traffic stops: 11,919 in 2006, compared to 11,441 in 2005, an increase of 4.17 percent.

•Total cases filed: 1,152 in 2006, compared to 1,072 in 2005, an increase of 7.46 percent.

Bits and Pieces

•The commission voted 3-0 to elect Member Nick Walters to the presidency and Member Mark Acevedo to the vice-presidency.

•Police Chief George Nelson told the commission that Lt. Dave Lohse, commander of the Support Services Division, has been named the new commander of the Patrol Division, with the retirement last fall of Lt. Pete Duda. Det. Sgt. Dave Adkins has been named the new commander of Support Services, a position which carries with it the badge of lieutenant.

•Members expressed their gratitude to Reling Refrigeration for its generous donation of $100 to the CPD Gift Fund.

•By consensus members re-scheduled their next monthly meeting from 6 p.m. Feb. 14 to 6 p.m. Feb. 21.

•Acevedo took a moment at the end of the meeting to thank the Town Council for re-appointing him to his seat.

December in Review

In December the CPD responded to 1,248 calls (1,356 in November), filed 83 cases (111 in November), issued 35 citations and 45 warnings (78 and 90 in November), filed five felony charges and 20 misdemeanor (six and 37 in November), served seven warrants (six in November), and investigated 38 accidents with 10 injuries (46 accidents with nine injuries in November).

The CPD also assigned 20 juvenile cases and closed 13 of them (19 and 17 in November) and filed no felony charges and three misdemeanor (one and four in October).

Calls for service included 39 alarms, nine animal complaints, four reports of battery, three burglaries, eight domestic calls, six reports of fraud, one missing person, one motor vehicle theft, seven parking violations, one peddler complaint, two runaways, two reports of shoplifting, 38 reports of suspicious circumstances, 20 reports of a suspicious person, 30 reports of a suspicious vehicle, 30 thefts, 94 traffic stops, 13 train complaints, 20 incidents of vandalism, and 14 noise complaints.

Posted 1/24/2007