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Allegan police present year-to-date call data; chief flags increases in homelessness and mental-health contacts
Summary
Police Chief Jay Gibson told council the department has recorded about 1,143 traffic stops year-to-date and roughly 3,614 calls through the reporting period, with homelessness and mental-health-related calls increasing; the department emphasized an education-first enforcement approach and offered to provide additional statistic breakdowns.
Police Chief Jay Gibson presented year-to-date statistics to the Allegan City Council on Nov. 10 and answered council members’ questions about trends and enforcement philosophy.
Chief Gibson said traffic stops for the year were "1,143" as of his recent review, and that the department had handled about 3,614 calls through the reporting period with a projected year-end total near 4,000. He described an education-first approach to traffic enforcement and noted staff efforts to avoid unnecessary administrative burden from taking all reports where possible. "Our philosophy is kind of to educate," he said when discussing stop-to-ticket ratios.
The chief also told council all area departments are seeing increases in homelessness and related mental-health calls; the department can offer transport to shelters or relatives but is not a transportation service. School resource officers were credited with resolving student incidents quickly, and downtown camera coverage was described as helpful. Council members asked for additional breakdowns (vape citations, building-specific school stats) and the chief offered to supply follow-up data by email.
No formal action was taken; the presentation closed after council thanked the chief for the update.
