The 2014 Annual Report of the Peachtree City Police Department has been released and includes a 61-page, comprehensive overview of the department and its operations.
The report noted 452 Part 1 (serious) crimes in 2014 compared to 456 in 2013 and 665 in 2009.
The Part 1 breakdown showed 27 burglaries, one rape, five robberies, 23 other sex offenses, 180 thefts, 10 auto thefts, 32 golf car thefts, 84 entering auto, 109 shoplifting, 313 domestic and 128 criminal trespass/damage/graffiti.
The patrol division in 2014 responded to 51,042 calls for service and conducted 13,053 traffic stops. Totals for 2013 were 47,320 calls for service and 13,848 traffic stops.
The average response time per call in 2014 was 4.56 minutes. That compares to a response time of 4.43 minutes per call in 2013. The increase was mainly attributed to increased call volume and a higher than normal turnover rate which led to more vacancies for part of the year, the report said.
The patrol division saw an increase in the number of domestic violence/complaint calls during 2014. In 2013, the patrol division responded to 288 calls while in 2014 officers responded to 313 calls. That represents an increase of about 9 percent, according to the report.
Patrol officers during 2014 initiated four vehicle pursuits, a 60 percent decrease from 2013. All pursuits lasted less than five minutes.
The department in 2014 obtained 329 misdemeanor and felony warrants, a 7 percent decrease from 2013.
The department’s House Watch Program, where officers periodically check residences when the owner is away, handled 282 requests, up from 267 in 2013. Those checks by officers and auxiliary officers totaled 10,177 security checks.
Also in 2014, the Special Response Team marked its 17th anniversary. The team in 2014 consisted of 19 members and operates under a memorandum of understanding with the Fayetteville Police Department and the LaGrange Police Department.
SRT was called out three times in 2014. All of the calls involved barricaded, high-risk subjects who were either armed or believed to be armed with a handgun or rifle. All three incidents were successfully mitigated with no injuries or significant property damage.
SRT training for 2014 resulted in an 85 percent reduction in overtime accrued compared to 2013.
The report also noted the operations of the Community Response Team (CRT) that focuses on traffic safety initiatives.
Officers in 2014 logged more than 1,474 hours of patrol efforts on the cart path system, an increase of 60 percent over 2013.
The 2014 traffic safety report noted 1,140 totals collisions compared to 1,158 in 2013. Of those, nearly 800 involved roadway collisions with following too close as the largest contributing factor.
The top collision location was the intersection of Ga. Highway 54 and Ga. Highway 74.
Data showed that 19.47 percent of roadway collisions came with an injury and 26 percent were linked to a DUI.
There was one fatal collision in 2014.
CRT issued 7,022 citations and 8,652 warnings in 2014.
CRT also participates in a variety of activities such as code enforcement, K-9 unit, the trailer display Variable Message System, the motorcycle unit, seatbelt initiatives, the Reserve Officer Program, school crossing guards, auxiliary police and School Resource Officer, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) programs, the Junior Police Academy and Citizen’s Police Academy programs and the CERT team (Community Emergency Response Team) and Teen CERT initiatives.
CRT in 2014 also participated in numerous local, state and national traffic safety programs.
The report also noted the many activities which are the responsibility of the Support Services and Criminal Investigations Division units.
The department in 2014 won a first-place standing in the International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Challenge.
The department also operates an Office of Professional Standards that provides a large variety of training classes and performs a wealth of analysis.
The department’s Honor Guard marked its 23rd anniversary in 2014 and continues to participate in numerous events in Peachtree City and around Fayette County.
