Burglaries up, crashes down

Wasilla police tally '05 crime stats

February 14, 2006

MARY AMES\Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Another year done, and statistics compiled by the Wasilla Police show it wasn't such a bad year for the department, crime-wise.

Burglaries were up by 13 from the year before, but car crashes were down by 35, although drunken-driving incidents were up by 42.

Chief Don Savage thinks he knows the reason for fewer vehicles getting in wrecks.

&#8220I think we can attribute that to the presence of the motorcycle patrol in the summer,” Savage said. &#8220Considering the increase in traffic, and construction, which usually contribute to more accidents, targeting traffic offenses seems to be working. I'm very pleased.”

Construction, like that on the Parks Highway last summer, slows vehicles down, so accidents aren't usually so serious, Savage said, but the added congestion and confusion makes accidents more frequent.

Gathering up the statistics takes staff time, Savage said, and the database most police agencies use- the Alaska Public Safety Information Network - doesn't make data extraction easy.

Looking over WPD statistics from 1994 through 2005, only larceny and robbery totals are higher than they have been in previous years.

&#8220Slight fluctuations are normal,” Savage said. &#8220I'm please that the numbers are holding, considering the growth in the Valley. And we have more officers now, about five or six more. In late 2001, when I came on, there were 18 and now there are 23.”

Drug arrests, at 39, were the lowest they have been since 2001, and while there was one more sexual assault than the two in 2004, those numbers are lower than those from 2000 through 2003. The highest number of sexual assaults in the city was 16 in 2002, the only year to show double digits.

Some increases in a particular type of crime can happen because of a binge by a few people. For example, vandalism, with 131 reports, is down from every previous year except 1999, which had 79 reported cases, the only year not in the triple digits.

&#8220But you don't know what will happen to change that in some other year,” Savage said.

Warrant arrests were up by 36, but you have to look back to 1996 to find numbers lower than in 2004.

The rate of crime growth in Wasilla, for now, doesn't seem to be in a parallel growth pattern with the population.

&#8220Because of the inverse proportion, it's a win,” Savage said. &#8220If the rates hold steady or grow a little, unlike the population growth, we're holding things to an acceptable level.”

People interested in seeing how Wasilla crime numbers stack up may log onto the city Web site, www.cityofwasilla.com/police/stats.asp.

Savage said he doesn't think the good numbers for the city will have a negative impact on getting grant funding for the police department because regional numbers are taken into consideration. But there is one thing he's sure of, no matter what way the numbers run.

&#8220We won't stop trying,” he said.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.