Arrests, Police Calls Down in Windham for 2012

The Windham Police Department has reported that calls for service and arrests were both down in 2012 from the previous year, according to statistics provided in the annual town report.

According to the report, a total of 16,366 calls for service were made in 2012, a number that has been trending downward in the last four years. In 2011, 17,073 calls for service were made, which was also down from the 20,785 in 2010 and 21,590 in 2009.

A total of 313 arrests were made in Windham last year, which was 53 less than the 363 made in 2011. 

One statistic that jumps out is the major decrease in driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrests. In 2011, 57 people were arrested for the crime, while 2012 saw just 25.

According to the report, some of the activity levels and totals are lower than would be expected due to issues in staffing experienced during the year.

The report indicates that at one point, the department was down seven officers, nearly one-third of the department's total of 19.

"During most of the year we were running at minimum staffing levels, which in turn had an impact on the overall volume of calls for service," reads the report.

During the year, three officers left the town, two through retirement (Capt. Carl Wagner and Sgt. Glenn Record) and one who left for a full-time position with another department (Norma Ryan).

Officer Brian Landry was also injured in March in a motor vehicle accident while responding to an emergency call. He remains out of work, as does Sgt. Wendy Foley, who was previously injured on-duty and needed two surgeries.