State police report rise in hotline volume; quarter shows 32% substantiation rate and cases referred to prosecutors

Major Drew of the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division presented the division’s April–June quarterly report to the Senate Children and Youth Committee, giving hotline volumes, acceptance rates and prosecution referrals.

Drew said the hotline received 16,965 calls in the quarter, of which 914 were accepted for investigation; DCFS referrals and differential responses were also reported in the packet. Monthly investigation counts cited by Drew were approximately 380 (April), 391 (May) and 329 (June). The division reported a 32% substantiation rate among closed investigations in the period and indicated 2,919 active investigative cases with 325 exceeding a 45‑day threshold. The division submitted 629 cases to prosecutors; 247 of those had charges filed, 55 were declined, and 227 remained pending.

Committee members asked whether the increase in reporting reflected more incidents or improvements in reporting. Drew said overall incident numbers appear relatively level but the new automated reporting system has yielded roughly 6,600–7,000 additional hotline calls compared with the same period last year and that duplicates can occur with automated reporting. Representatives requested decision‑tree materials explaining how hotline operators determine which calls to accept; Major Drew described a checklist and supervisor consultation for borderline calls and offered committee tours of the facility for firsthand review.