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IPD reports downward trend in major crimes; board discusses STERI call volumes and unarmed responder plans
Summary
The police chief presented early dashboard findings showing declines in larceny, burglary and assault. Board members raised concerns about very high call volumes at multi-unit properties, asked for address-cleanup in dispatch, and discussed how planned unarmed responders and county partners might be deployed.
The Ithaca Police Department reported a decline in the three Part 1 categories the department tracks — larceny, burglary and assault — and said staff are examining multiple factors that could explain the shift.
Police said one factor may be that including the post‑COVID year in a three‑year average skews earlier comparisons. The department also said arrests of repeat offenders can reduce repeat incidents in the data and that it is working with partner agencies to analyze arrest and incident patterns.
Board members focused on the dashboard’s location data after members observed that two entries for the same building — listed separately as 'Asteria Ithaca Residential Tower' and 'Asteria Ithaca' — together represent the highest call volume on the dashboard. The police chief said the duplication likely reflects dispatch or address-listing differences and that staff will clean up the address list.
Members asked whether additional resourcing has been deployed to high-call facilities. The chief said police are spending more proactive time at the building, walking halls and stairwells, and advised the building manager to add private security for evening and overnight hours. The department said it will begin scaling back its presence if building management provides adequate private security.
Board members and the chief discussed county and nonprofit partners that could supply alternate responses to noncriminal or behavioral-health calls. The board heard that Tompkins County and providers such as REACH had been discussed as partners and that the city is still in early planning on alternative responder models. A Common Council member said the city has set aside two years of unencumbered funds for an unarmed responder team and that about $700,000 is currently encumbered in the account; council staff will continue work to identify how those funds might be used.
Police staff also noted a planned rubric to interview community organizations to map existing services and identify gaps that could be addressed by alternative responders. The board requested further briefings about where alternate responders would be effective and how agencies would coordinate after-hours coverage.
