Preliminary 2005 crime statistics from the Athens Police Department show an alarming increase in reported assaults and fights since 2001, though calls for alcohol-related offenses have decreased by about 50 percent, APD Capt. Tom Pyle said yesterday.
Reported assaults increased from 112 in 2001 to 184 in 2005, and reported fights rose from 190 to 360 in those years, Pyle said during Mayor Ric Abel's weekly news conference.
Though the number of alcohol-related calls for service has decreased from 1,317 to 670 in the past five years, the number of arrests for offenses related to alcohol increased by about 20 percent, he said.
Abel and police Chief Richard Mayer will likely release the year's official statistics in the next two weeks, Pyle said.
Although the 2005 statistics appear to show no direct correlation between violence and alcohol consumption, experience has shown APD officers that such a connection exists, Pyle said, adding that his recommendation to the chief is to continue focusing on alcohol-related offenses in the hope that the number of fights and assaults will eventually decrease.
Because many of the calls for fights result only in arrests on charges related to alcohol consumption, a clearer statistical picture might develop if the data are changed to show which reports are related to fights, even when the resulting charges do not stem directly from an altercation, Pyle said.
The statistics also exhibit a direct correlation between increases in violence and decreased police staffing, he said, noting that with reduced staffing comes decreased visibility of officers on the streets.
Pyle praised APD officers for the increase in alcohol-related arrests despite a smaller staff. Budget constraints, retirements, injuries and military duty have left the department with 22 full-time officers, compared to the 29 working in 2001. APD is in the process of hiring two more officers.
The city consistently has spent between $2.4 million and $2.6 million annually to fund the department, Abel said, but salary raises and overtime costs consume funds that could be used to hire additional officers.
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Kantele Franko
