As the Carroll Police Department’s numbers from Fiscal Year 2019/2020 are analyzed, Chief, Brad Burke, says there are some noticeable changes, many of them related to the coronavirus pandemic. The biggest overall takeaway from their year-end report for July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 is that Carroll remains a very safe community, ranking in the top five or 10, depending on who is doing the poll. Burke says there are a several factors responsible for this ongoing trend.
Of course, Burke says, many of those outreach initiatives have been curtailed by COVID-19. He adds that since mid-March, this has been a year full of adjustments. That was reflected right away in the number of incidents requiring law enforcement throughout the community.
One noticeable drop over last year was clearance rates through arrest or by exceptional means. Exceptional means is defined by identification of an offender, but an inability to make a charge or arrest due to circumstances beyond their control. This could include the suspect’s death, victim refusal to cooperate or County Attorney refusal to prosecute as well as denial of extradition from another jurisdiction. Burke says there were again contributing factors in a six percent drop to 60.6 percent, which is still above the national average.
For the second consecutive year, the Carroll Police Department has not reported a fatality occurring from a vehicle accident. They are also able to report the numbers in five of the eight traditional problem areas they track are down as well. The five with a decrease include: assaults, criminal mischief charges, property damage and hit and run accidents and thefts. The other three saw increases; burglary only up by one incident over the past year, with operating while intoxicated and personal injury accidents up by two and five respectively. Burke adds they are seeing some of the biggest jumps in shoplifting, from 58 to 66, with a coinciding increase on specific reasons.
He adds they have also seen drastic decreases in incidents at a couple of high-volume locations in Carroll. And although COVID played a role, Burke says the positive numbers in the report are not just related to the pandemic. He believes people are being more responsible and more responsive and they are at full staffing with more experienced officers. The report will be made available on the City of Carroll’s website in the near future.
