Recent Iowa City drug arrests not a sign of increased crime, police say

Over the past four weeks, dozens of Iowa City police reports have been filed for various drug-related charges in Johnson County -- seemingly many more than in the past.

While it may seem on the surface that more warrants have been issued to search residential properties for drugs, Iowa City Police Sergeant Denise Brotherton says that it is not due to an increased amount of drug crimes in Iowa City.

"SCAT [Iowa City's Crime Action Team] is just cleaning out a bunch of cases that have been pushed back for various reasons, lately," Brotherton said. "It's because of paperwork issues, not because of a rising trend in crime."

A majority of recent arrests made have been for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia or keeping a drug house. Most have been related to marijuana, but the consumption and selling of prescription drugs, cocaine and other substances have also been noted.