Ione – The Ione City Council got a report on crime statistics from fiscal year ending in 2009, with trends reportedly reflective of the recession. A report from Ione Police Chief Michael Johnson included the department’s service call statistics last week for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, along with a memo describing what can be seen in the stats. Johnson said “recent trends in crime have been reflective of the difficult financial times.” The Ione Police Department, he said, is “currently experiencing an increase in domestic violence incidents and theft related offenses.” To date for this fiscal year, IPD, as of August 6th, had “taken approximately 120 more case numbers than last year” on that date. He said: “With our 2 new very proactive officers and a change in enforcement philosophies that are targeted at meeting this community’s needs, our investigations, court appearances and commitments are resulting in more criminal cases,” court appearances and follow-up. Data showed that “officer initiated activity is more than double the calls for service.” Johnson said “unfortunately, this all translates into expenditures.” He said he would meet with City Manager Kim Kerr in coming weeks to “make the necessary adjustments,” that is, “cuts and modifications to help” Ione Police Department “cope with budget deficits.” Besides cuts, he will “be implementing a change in deployments, schedules, and resources to better combat peak criminal activity times.” The data showed increased activity in some areas, as compared to the 2007-2008 fiscal year, though some areas had decreased, including traffic stops and traffic citations. Johnson said “as with most statistics there are many variables and considerations within any given category.” Five areas had increased numbers over the previous year. That included 5,583 total incidents, 1,694 calls for service, 3,889 “officer initiated incidents,” 193 felony reports and 52 felony arrests. The IPD made 968 traffic stops last fiscal year. It also made 327 misdemeanor reports, with 130 misdemeanor arrests, and 44 misdemeanor citations. The department issued 360 moving vehicle violations and 118 parked vehicle violations. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.