By KEVIN NEVERS

Porter County roads were generally safer in 2007, as Sheriff’s Police officers meaningfully increased traffic enforcement and fewer drunks got behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, the total number of serious personal and property crimes reported in unincorporated Porter County fell significantly last year, although most of the decrease occurred in a single category: thefts.

Criminal arrests also plummeted, with far fewer people charged in 2007 for alcohol- and drug-related offenses.

Those are the trends revealed by the 2007 report released on Wednesday by the Porter County Sheriff’s Police.

Traffic

Begin with accidents. Last year there were eight fatalities on county roads, the same number as in 2006, down markedly from the 18 recorded in 2005 and the 14 in 2004.

A total of 266 personal injury accidents were reported in 2007, compared to 354 in 2006, a decrease of 25 percent.

Property damage accidents, on the other hand, increased by 22 percent, from 1,296 in 2006 to 1,584 in 2007. Hit-and-run accidents increased slightly, by 6 percent, from 107 in 2006 to 113 in 2007.

Corresponding to the sizable decrease in personal injury accidents and the relatively low number of fatal accidents was more aggressive traffic enforcement. Officers issued 3,088 citations in 2007, compared to 2,723 in 2006, an increase of 13 percent. In fact, officers issued more citations by roughly the same percentage they issued fewer written warnings, 5,272 warnings in 2007 compared to 6,372 in 2006, a decrease of 17 percent.

The number of arrests for operating while intoxicated likewise dropped sharply, by fully 38 percent, from 181 in 2006 to 113 in 2007. OWI complaints fell as well, by 9 percent, from 198 in 2006 to 180 in 2007; as did reckless driving complaints, by 3 percent, from 1,730 in 2006 to 1,682 in 2007.

Officers did execute fewer traffic stops, however, 7,261 in 2007 compared to 8,577 in 2006, a decrease of 15 percent.

Crimes Reported

On the whole, the number of serious personal and property crimes reported—murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, and vehicle theft—fell, from a total of 1,456 in 2006 to 1,327 in 2007, a decrease of 8 percent.

Even so, personal crimes remained largely stable in 2007: one murder reported (none in 2006); three rapes reported (one in 2006) six robberies reported (six in 2006); and 276 assaults, compared to 295 in 2006, a decrease of 6 percent.

In fact, the 9 percent drop in serious crimes reported is due almost entirely to an 18 percent decrease in the number of thefts reported, 740 in 2007 compared to 907 in 2006. Burglaries increased by 25 percent, from 167 in 2006 to 208 in 2007; and vehicle thefts increased by 16 percent, from 80 in 2006 to 93 in 2007.

Criminal Arrests

Criminal arrests on all charges dropped precipitously, by 31 percent, from a total of 1,550 in 2006 in 1,063 in 2007.

Arrests for serious personal and property crimes fell by 17 percent, from 235 in 2006 to 195 in 2007; while arrests for minor offenses—vandalism, criminal mischief, and the like—dropped by fully 33 percent, from 915 in 2006 to 609 in 2007.

Arrests for alcohol-related offenses—not including those for OWI—decreased 31 percent, from 149 in 2006 to 103 in 2007; arrests for drug-related offenses decreased 39 percent, from 70 in 2006 to 43 in 2007.

More Numbers

Total PCSP incidents remained almost exactly stable, year over year: 31,709 in 2007 compared to 31,738 in 2006, a decrease of less than 1 percent.

The average daily count at the Porter County Jail, in contrast, fell slightly, by 4 percent, from 487.91 in 2006 to 467.16 in 2007.

Posted 3/13/2008