WDM Magazine Issue 19

West Des Moines residents should receive Issue 19 of the WDM Magazine in mailboxes this week. The issue includes a recap of summer events, an article on our Traffic Operations Center, important notices and information from the Public Works and Police Departments, some features on Valley Junction, and more.

As usual, the issue includes a pull-out Parks and Recreation guide and programming information for the Library and Human Services departments. The Human Rights Commission has included a short survey they'd like residents to tear out and send back to gauge opinions & experiences related to human rights in West Des Moines.

I'm pleased to report that the WDM Magazine recently won an award--specifically, the Bronze Award for Best Government Publication from the 2009 Magnum Opus Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Custom Media. The Magnum Opus awards are given by ContentWise in conjunction with the Missouri School of Journalism and McMurry Publishing. This is the second award the magazine has won in the last couple years - in 2007 it received a Savvy Award from 3CMA, the City/County Communications and Marketing Association.

Business Record Appearances

The City of West Des Moines has received some great exposure recently in the Des Moines Business Record.

West Des Moines traffic engineers Jim Dickinson and Eric Petersen were interviewed for an article on the City's innovative traffic modeling techniques.

The City was also named "City Most Conducive to Business" in the Business Record's Annual "Best Of" rankings for 2009. We have received this recognition consecutively since the question was first asked in 1998 and will work to continue to receiving it.

PD 2008 Annual Report

As part of its annual report, the Police Department keeps very good records of its work in the community each year. They report comprehensively on the work of each division, year to year comparisons, commendations and awards, and more. Some details from 2008:

• In the Operations Division, the Uniform Patrol Unit (the largest and most visible segment of the department) responded to 48,675 calls for service in 2008. This group authored over 6,400 police reports, made 1,580 arrests, investigated 1,226 traffic accidents, and issued 657 parking tickets and 6,070 traffic citations. These officers, who work in one of five patrol territories, maintained an average response time of 6 minutes and 9 seconds to priority calls during 2008.
• The K-9 Unit, which is part of the Uniform Patrol Unit, had a busy year as well. The unit made 107 canine trips, 2 felony arrests, 31 misdemeanor arrests, 19 assisted arrests, 28 assisted traffic stops, and 32 outside agency assists. They completed 8 building searches, 20 demonstrations, and 251 hours of training. The unit seized $102,300 in US currency and three types of illegal drugs. West Des Moines also hosted the United States Police Canine Association Region 21 Field Trials, where the K-9 Team placed second overall in a field of over 30 teams, qualifying for nationals.
• Police officers in the Criminal Investigation Unit (C.I.U.) investigate major crimes like homicide, rape, robbery, assault, arson, kidnapping, and burglary. The eight officers and one part-time civilian investigator assigned to C.I.U. all receive extensive training to deal with witnesses, victims, and suspects, often in sensitive situations. The C.I.U. was assigned 2479 cases in 2008
• Three detectives, called School Resource Officers, are assigned to the schools. They work to prevent crime and investigate crime against children in the schools, as well as serve as a liaison between the department and the school community. They were assigned 689 cases throughout the year with a closure rate of 90.3%.
• The Animal Control Unit, which is part of Special Operations, works to ensure and promote the humane treatment of animals in West Des Moines and Clive and return or adopt out as many animals as possible. In 2008, they handled 2,126 calls for service and 504 adoptions from our WDM animal shelter.

In their annual reporting, the Police Department also recognizes five chaplains that donated over 233 hours of their time in 2008 to help officers and civilian employees who requested their presence or help.

This is just a sampling of the information from the Police Department's 2008 year. To read more about the different functions of the police department, visit their section of the West Des Moines website. You can also view the 2008 year-end crime report.