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.