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Police chief: calls for service more complex; mental-health calls up this year
Summary
Hampshire police reported year-to-date increases in dispatch calls and mental-health incidents; the chief said the calls are more complex and time-consuming, while traffic stops and parking citations fell. Trustees discussed squad-car cameras and grant applications for replacement hardware.
During the meeting, the police chief (speaker 8) reviewed departmental metrics and said dispatch calls for service are up and more complicated this year, while self-initiated activity such as traffic stops and parking tickets has declined. Trustees asked about burglary and parking-ticket figures and flagged a year-to-date increase in mental-health related calls (55 YTD versus 29 last year and 14 the prior year).
The chief said complexity of calls—rather than more criminal incidents—accounts for the added workload. Trustees questioned whether fire calls were included (they are not unless the department requested assistance). The board discussed squad-car camera equipment and noted that the department had purchased two used systems at roughly $500 apiece; the chief said the village will apply for a state camera grant to replace aging equipment.
Trustees asked for continued monitoring of trends and additional detail on staffing and resources if the pattern persists. No formal action or new funding was approved at the meeting.
