Police report: calls down, officer injured in hit-and-run and city cites new scooter law

Chief Gudders reported to the council that overall calls for service are down by 181 for the first six months of the year, despite the department operating short two patrol officers and a lieutenant compared with last year. "We're actually down calls for service by a 181," he said, and added that traffic stops were up by 60 while more serious injury accidents were down.

Gudders described a hit-and-run that occurred on 06/25/2026 involving Officer Callahan, who sustained minor arm and back injuries and is back at work. "He was actually the victim of the hit and run accident that resulted in minor injuries to his arm and back," Gudders said, and reported the suspect was arrested on hit-and-run and DUI charges and did not have insurance; vehicle repairs were estimated at about $3,000. Gudders also reviewed a separate crash on Pleasant and South 1st involving a scooter, noting recent state changes: "There's a new senate bill, 6 1 1 0 that went to affect the changes kind of the rules on scooters and e-bikes," he said, and stated the scooter should have been registered and should not have been operated on the sidewalk.

The chief informed the council the department is transitioning ticketing software to a product called Trax and that officers are still training on the new system, which is temporarily lengthening the time needed to write citations. He closed by highlighting community engagement events and a July 25 summer food-drive date the department will support.