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Middletown chief reports October uptick in calls, confirms Oct. 31 shooting under investigation
Summary
Middletown’s police chief reported 3,169 calls for service in October, a 6% month-over-month rise, and said one confirmed shots-fired incident on Highland Avenue on Oct. 31 remains under investigation with no identified victim or confirmed suspects.
MIDDLETOWN — Middletown’s police chief told the Police Commission that the department handled 3,169 calls for service in October, a 6% increase from September’s 2,976, and that October included a confirmed shots-fired incident on Highland Avenue on Oct. 31 that remains under investigation.
The chief said investigators logged four shots-fired reports in October; three were deemed unfounded (Oct. 8 at 59 North Street; Oct. 25 at 10 Spring Street and 13 Depot Street) and one was confirmed on Oct. 31 on Highland Avenue. “We have no victim,” the chief said, adding that detectives are piecing together photos and video and “we do believe that it did” stem from a dispute, though he said suspects remain unconfirmed.
Month-to-month crime figures were mixed, the chief said: 31 Part 1 crimes in October (seven violent, 24 property), a 15% increase from 27 in the previous month; and 117 Part 2 crimes, a 20% decrease from 147 in September. The department reported 227 arrests for October. Use-of-force incidents were limited to six events—about 2.6% of the month’s arrests, the chief said.
Traffic enforcement also rose: the department issued 595 traffic tickets in October (a 17% increase from 507 in September) and 343 parking summonses (an 11% increase from 310).
The chief told commissioners that school resource officers helped alert investigators to the confirmed Oct. 31 incident rather than an immediate public report, and that detectives are working to corroborate witness video and photographs. He described suspected participants as young people and said detectives are still trying to identify those involved.
The commission heard the report during its regular meeting and moved to executive session at the end of the public agenda to address personnel and promotion interviews.
The department did not provide a full year-to-date crime total at the meeting; the chief described the longer-term trend as “on the downward slope” but did not specify a precise figure.
