Politics & Government

Chief Says Assaults Against Officers Declining, Property Crimes on the Rise

Wentzville Police Chief Looking Ahead to Department Certification

Tamara Duncan, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

Wentzville Police Chief Lisa Harrison presented a status update on the police department at last week’s board of alderman work session.

Harrison offered some crime statistics, reporting that:

  • Assaults against officers, which had shown a disturbing uptrend in recent years, seem to be declining, mostly because of a new policy that dispatches two officers to each call.
  • Percentage rates of solved crimes has risen dramatically, from 10.45 % in 2010 to 39.81% in 2012.
  • Property crimes, burglary and theft are up. 
As Wentzville's population has grown, the area's economic factors have changed, Harrison said. "People aren’t going to steal from people who don’t have anything. People want to steal nice things," she said.

While many of her goals for the department have either been met or have achieved satisfactory progress, Harrison is still fighting for one—Missouri Police Chiefs Association (MPCA) certification.

And she's hoping to see that accomplished in 2014.

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But where the department is cutting-edge in some aspects—such as the use of body cameras by officers—other aspects, such as personnel, have not been met.

Harrison pointed out the department's need for a professional standards officer as one of those needs. Harrison is also hoping to add more administrative support and two corrections technicians to the city's 2014 budget.

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In future years, she also hopes to add a full time parks ranger, another dispatcher and a civilian evidence technician.

Wentzville has added several crime-related ordinances this past year at Harrison's urging, with new laws pertaining to animal control, fugitives from justice, false alarms, travel safety zones, harassment, drugs and paraphernalia, methamphetamine cleanup, an inmate security fund and a sunshine law exemptions amendment.

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