Waterloo Mayor Buck Clark and Director of Safety Services Dan Trelka released crime and calls-for-service statistics for 2011, along with comparisons from 2010. The statistics in their entirity are posted under Uniform Crime Stats in the "Reports" tab on the Waterloo Police Department website.

The statistics show that Group A offenses, typically referred to as violent and property crimes, are down 12.20%. Traffic crashes are down 8.59% and calls-for-service decreased 2.27%. There were 81,110 calls-for-service in 2010 versus 79,265 in 2011. The Tri-County Drug Task Force statistics also showed another productive year in 2011; 152 drug arrests, 79 drug search warrants conducted, 45 weapons seized, and an amount drugs seized with a street value of approximately $894,000. Director Trelka noted there is a nexus between the drug trade, crime, and violence.

In addition, the Waterloo Police Department continues on a trend in their ability to solve the amount of crime reported. The national average for law enforcement agencies in clearing crime is typically around 21%. The Waterloo Police Department's efforts resulted in a clearance rate of approximately 40%.

Waterloo Mayor Buck Clark said he is encouraged by these results. He said the community policing efforts he supports and advocated are paying dividends to the community. He added that the results speak volumes of the partnership between the police department and the community in working together to improve the quality of life in Waterloo.

Director of Safety Services Dan Trelka noted an increase in pro-active, officer initiated activities such as Driving Under the Influence offenses, which showed an increase of 38.53%. Driving Under the Influence offenses are catergorized under Group B offenses. Director Trelka said, "These figures generally do not indicate an increase in the amount of drunk or drugged drivers on the road. They indicate that law enforcement officers have become more proficient in the apprehension and detection of drunk or drugged drivers. Nationally, drunk and drugged driving continues to be one of the more prominent factors contributing to traffic fatalities. That is why Driving Under the Influence was chosen as one of the monthly quality of life initiatives." He added, "Crime is still occuring, just as in any community, but it is occuring less frequently in Waterloo than in the past. The efforts of the officers and the community members working with the police department are to be commended."

Daniel J. Trelka

Waterloo Director of Safety Services