GREENFIELD — What a difference a year has made for law enforcement in the City of Greenfield. Chief Brian Hartman of the Greenfield Police Department noted they’ve busier than ever when it comes to making arrests and dealing with drug issues.
“We, like any other community, have a drug problem and that relates to higher number of arrests,” Hartman said.
Officials with the GPD shared a closer look at their official run numbers from last month as well as arrest figures for the year through end of July compared to statistics from the same time last year.
A detailed look at arrest numbers in 2021 and 2022 is somewhat alarming as they show an 87% increase in arrests.
Deputy Chief Chuck McMichael said officers with the GPD made 156 arrests from January 2021 through July 2021. From January through July 0f this year, they had arrested 291 people, almost doubling the number from a year ago.
“An 87% increase in criminal arrests is huge,” McMichael said.
The numbers midway through September add even more arrests. Hartman noted that, as of this week, officers have arrested 362 people so far this year. Of these arrests, 68 have been warrant arrest, 144 drug-related arrest, 73 summons arrest, and the rest were classified as “other.”
“Some of the arrests could be contributed to Covid restrictions being released, especially at the jail. However, we were still making arrests last year,” McMichael said. “We were just issuing the offender a ‘Summons to Appear’ as opposed to taking them to jail.”
While some may think an increase in police activity has something to do with COVID restrictions being lowered, the argument is quickly washed away when officials look at total police calls to the department through the first seven months of this year.
From January through July 2021, GPD took 14,966 calls compared to 15,057 calls, only about a 1% increase, meaning the need for officials is at about the same level as it was in 2021.
“We are certainly up from last year in case reports, arrests and traffic stops,” McMichael said. “While we only have a 1% increase in total calls, but the increase in traffic stops, arrests and case reports take up a lot of the officers’ time.”
While the opening of the new jail and the decrease of COVID restrictions has been welcomed by law enforcement, officials with the GPD noted the reason they are having so many more arrested is because of more drug-related activity.
Hartman noted of the arrests so far this year, including through midweek, 68 have been warrant arrests, 144 drug-related arrests, 73 summons arrests, and the rest are classified as others.
The arrest numbers surrounding drugs concerns Hartman and the local statistics on drug related issues is backed by statewide statistics showing drug usage continues to increase with deadly consequences.
Substance use disorders have been a growing public health concern over the past decade, both nationally and in Indiana, officials said. Data from the CDC indicates there were an estimated 100,306 overdose fatalities in the U.S. during a 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5% from the same period in 2020.
The Indiana Department of Health also reported from January to December 2020, there was a 41% increase in drug overdose deaths compared to the same time period in 2019 in Indiana, showing more and more people are dying from drug use.
Hartman noted they are trying to figure out ways to work on the drug issue and are even starting new tactics in the GPD drug unit. However, Hartman says it’s not just drug issues, but several issues that are causing higher arrest numbers.
“Society is the main concern,” Hartman said. “People now a days don’t have any regard for anyone else nor their self. That is why they feel it is OK to ingest things into their body not knowing what it is and this causes overdose numbers to go up.”
Teenagers running around with real guns or “fake look-a-like guns,” thinking it makes them appear tough or cool, is also a concern, Hartman said.
“The younger generation has gotten only slaps on the wrists for doing things wrong their entire life, whether it be at home, school or juvenile arrests, and now they are becoming adults and think they can continue to do whatever they want, causing a consequences and accountability issue,” Hartman said.
When it comes to overall statistics, the numbers really heated up this past summer. For August alone, GPD had 2,271 calls, 112 case reports, 51 crash reports, 20 arrests, 306 traffic stops and 646 security checks.
One of the other big issues taking up officer time this year has been traffic stops. The department did a total of 2,057 traffic stops from January through July in 2021 and are close to 3,000 so far this year with 2,804 through July. Case reports have also increased from 788 to 973, a 23% increase.
On a more positive note, officials with the GPD said crash report numbers have gone down from 313 to 264, an 18% decrease. Plus, security checks have also lowered so far from 4,791 to 4,440, an 8% decrease.
Probably the biggest and most positive information coming out of the report numbers is that the department is handling all of the workload, even though they are down two officers.
“We are holding our own with manpower,” McMichael said. “We are currently two officers short and hope to have those positions filled by the end of the year.”
