Iowa City police handle more drug incidents, make fewer arrests

Iowa City officers responded to 626 incidents involving drug and narcotic violations last year, representing a 38 percent increase over 2010 and an 89 percent jump in those incidents in the past five years, according to the department's annual report.

The number of incidents related to drug equipment violations also jumped 56 percent since 2007, according to the Iowa City Police Department's annual report released Wednesday. Statistics in both of the drug-related categories last year reached their highest levels in at least five years, and Sgt. Denise Brotherton credited the jump, in part, to the department's efforts and awareness that drugs can lead to other crimes.

“It can lead to domestic violence or burglary or theft when people are having issues with drugs,” Brotherton said, adding that focusing on drug enforcement is one proactive way of curbing other criminal behavior. “That's one way to address other problems.”

Iowa City has one dedicated narcotics investigator and a Street Crimes Action Team that includes three officers who are focused on street-level criminal and narcotic investigations. The team last year filed more than 800 criminal complaints and seized multiple pounds of illegal drugs including marijuana, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, ecstacy and LSD, according to the report. The unit also seized more than 30 weapons, including 16 firearms, and recovered 11 stolen cars, the report states.

In addition to the drug-related incidents, Iowa City police saw increases in incidents related to burglary, shoplifting and swindling last year. According to the report, officers responded to fewer incidents involving vandalism, robbery and simple assaults.

The total number of Iowa City's calls for service, reports taken, traffic citations and arrests has been on the decline in the past decade, according to the report. Officers made 30 percent fewer arrests last year than in 2002, and they issued 40 percent fewer traffic citations in 2011 than in 2002.

Brotherton said some of the declines are related to changes in how the department tracks and records statistics and some are the result of manpower and resource issues.

“We were short on officers last year,” Brotherton said, adding that traffic citations, for example, are "a proactive thing.”

In addition to the typical retirements and departures, Brotherton said, three Iowa City officers were deployed with the military last year. Those officers have returned and new officers who had to go through lengthy training programs before hitting the street are now on the job, she said.

“The more officers we have out there, the more you will see those numbers climb,” Brotherton said.

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