Prescott Valley police report rising traffic enforcement, falling arrests and expanded community programs

Chief of Police Bob Tyson presented department statistics and described community policing programs, underscoring a focus on traffic safety and youth outreach.

Tyson said the department issued more than 11,000 traffic stops in the past 12 months with citations up about 19% from the prior period, and he emphasized the agency’s three E’s of traffic safety: enforcement, engineering and education. "We have to have those 3 in there to do that," Tyson said.

He described proactive enforcement on corridors such as Glassford Hill and said motor officers are averaging high daily citation counts: "Our motor cops are are writing upwards 20, 25 tickets a day each," Tyson said. He also stressed persistent DUI enforcement and noted the department’s canine program and school resource officer (SRO) program.

On overall crime, Tyson said arrests have declined slightly and that serious crime shows reductions, though he urged support for victims and said victim advocates are available. He described response-time benchmarking and said officers are equipped to complete many reports in the field to maximize patrol presence.

Tyson also reviewed community programs: a Citizens Police Academy (nine-week program held in the fall), neighborhood watch/house-watch programs supported by volunteers, a senior safety checks program for shut‑ins, and crime-prevention reviews for property owners. He credited volunteers and private donors for supporting the department’s canine program and said the department will continue traffic emphasis and school safety efforts.

Tyson invited residents to follow up with questions after the presentation and to sign up for volunteer programs.