August 23, 2021 |
A police report submitted to the Saratoga Town Council last week shows that the town’s three officers have had a busy summer. It’s far from over.
During the first two weeks of August, according to the report generated by the Spillman system and obtained by Bigfoot 99, SPD responded to a total of 210 calls. Between August 2 and August 15, five arrests were made for possession of a controlled substance. Two were for felony amounts. During that same period, police responded to nearly two dozen calls to the hot pools. Sergeant Justin Brown told council that the popular recreating spot is a “fishing hole” for catching troublemakers.
In all, 11 citations were made for public nudity so far in August. The report shows that during May, June and July, Saratoga Police responded to an average of 22 CAD calls per day. CAD stands for Computer Assisted Dispatch, a system which allows for coordinated tracking of law enforcement resources. May was the busiest month with 588 calls. July was not far behind with 574. With just three officers on the force, that makes for a heavy workload.
According to the call report generated by the Spillman server, police conducted 16 traffic stops during the first two weeks of August. Sergeant Brown told council earlier this month that it’s not uncommon for drugs or drug paraphernalia to be discovered during routine traffic stops. The officer told council last week that the pattern repeated itself.
In a summary of police actions taken during two-week reporting period this month, five arrests or citations are shown for possession of a controlled substance. Two men were arrested for felony delivery of a controlled substance, according to a separate report of individual police calls.
Councilman Ron Hutchins asked Brown how drug cases are typically disposed of by the local court system and if repeat offenders are part of the problem.
Pictured above: File photo of Saratoga Town Hall/Police Department. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Council members expressed their appreciation for the effort the shorthanded department is making in keeping up with the demands placed on it. Saratoga is looking to hire three more police officers.
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