OXFORD – The Village of Oxford Police Department saw a record breaking number of arrests and complaints in 2009, citing a number of felony investigations and an increasing trend in the demand for their services over the last few years.
“Our numbers show an increase of activity all across the board. We had to get more aggressive in the shifts we work, with limited resources and a limited budget – it’s all about officer awareness and community participation,” said Oxford Police Chief Richard Nolan. “2009 is looking to be our busiest year on record.”
Nolan said traditionally the Oxford Police has been a “community based” police force working with local citizens in low-level complaints and performing other services such as aiding people in car lock-outs, but in the last few years he has seen an increasing trend of higher level criminal activity that’s changing the role of the small town police force.
“The officers complete it all, start to finish. We don’t have anyone that assists us in the arrests, processing or reporting – no secretary or administrator to do paperwork. My officers have to be trained in the entire process and able to complete all the necessary documents related to an arrest. The biggest problem now is with the increase in activity and arrests, more paperwork is generated and this leads to more time in the office for all of us. It’s a defense attorney’s job to find flaws while working for his client. We review each other’s paperwork and it’s a true collaborative effort,” explained Nolan.
Currently Oxford employs one full-time and five part-time officers, with a total of 35 years of experience. The Oxford police handled 3,079 complaints in 2009, an increase of more than 36 percent from 2008’s 2,248 complaints. Nolan said he also recorded the number of follow-up actions officers made in 2009 and noted another 2,883 additional documented contacts during subsequent investigations over the original complaints. Of those, 560 were criminal complaints.
Officers also handed out 645 tickets in 2009, up slightly from the 615 issued in 2008. The police recorded a high speed of a 99 mph in a 40 and a 74 in a 30 among the most severe speeding offenses. According to Nolan’s calculations, the average ticketed speeder in a posted 40 mph zone was 61 mph. The average speed of a ticketed offender in a 30 mph zone was 52 mph. Police also made 8 DWI arrests in 2009 using state grant money to fund extra patrols. Two of those were felony level arrests.
In a single night in January 2009, the Oxford police department received 45 larceny complaints after two teens went on a overnight drug inspired crime spree, rummaging inside a number of vehicles and taking anything of value. Then again another group of youths, also under the influence of drugs, committed another 30 larcenies and four felony burglaries in a single night in November.
With a total of 128 larceny investigations in 2009, these two nights of activity alone accounted for more than half of all the theft complaints this past year and involved more than 60 victims. Nolan also pointed out that those two nights of activity generated more theft complaints than the average annual totals recorded in previous years. He also explained that while having multiple crimes occurring at once may seem more convenient for an investigation, it is actually much harder on a department always eyeing its bottom line. The surge in work increases overtime and can be draining for officers.
“We’ve had 12 people in our office at one time, seven of which were under arrest and then had to respond to another call where another arrest was made resulting in eight people under arrest and adding another four to the office at one time for a total of 17 people involved in the activity. Then you need to add the three officers doing the investigation, taking statements and processing arrests. It can be real hectic in a 14 by 18 feet office,” said Nolan.
The department recording an unusually high number of burglaries in 2009. The PD made nine burglary arrests, nine attempted burglary arrests and has two open burglary cases.
The Oxford department was successful in acquiring a number of new pieces of equipment in 2009, including a $23,000 grant for a license plate reader that can search out stolen cars, suspended plates and other criminal violations tied to a cars numbered registry.
In just over a year, the reader has resulted in 63 misdemeanor traffic arrests.
Also in 2009, Oxford finished equipping its 2008 Dodge Durango; the combined cost of the SUV and police equipment was about $65,000. Nolan said the department used equipment from a retiring vehicle and grant money to cover all but $1,000 of the costs associated with the Durango.
“It’s amazing to get a full police package at less than 1 percent going to local taxpayers, averaging less than 6 and a half cents per village household,” said Nolan.
Out of the last four vehicles purchased by the Village of Oxford Police Department, the Durango and a new 2009 cruiser are the first ever to be partially billed to the village taxpayers.
The chief also noted that a number of the officers serving at the PD volunteered for other services, including the Oxford EMS and Fire Department. In fact, Oxford Police Officer Ron Martin is currently the Oxford Fire Chief. “They bring a lot of experience to the table in time of emergencies. They are dedicated volunteers and my hat goes off to them, and all the other volunteers in our community,” said Nolan.
Looking ahead to 2010, Nolan reported the department had already made a significant number of criminal arrests in January – nearly one every day.
“Drug activity has increased at an exponential rate. We have a real problem with prescription drug abuse in the village. One of our goals in 2010 is to put pressure on this criminal activity. It’s difficult with limited funds and resources to battle it successfully, but we know who a lot of the dealers and users are. Working with other agencies and keeping open communications between us is crucial to combating this problem since drug use is also connected to many other criminal activities,” he said.