More Than 300 Arrests Made in Butler Last Year

The Butler Police Department made 314 arrests in 2012, down by nearly 100 arrests from the year prior according to an annual summary report required for the department's accreditation.

Butler Police Capt. Ciro Chimento said data was collected and sent to the state Attorney General's Office, through the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, on Wednesday. The figures included detail the past year in police activity in the Borough of Butler.

In 2012, in addition to the 314 arrests (year-over-year-comparison below), 2,716 summonses of various natures were issued. Suspicious person incidents totaled 283, suspicious vehicles totaled 253 and medical emergencies reached 500.

There were 48 burglaries reported in Butler in 2012 and 41 larcenies. A total of 197 animal complaints (largely bear or deer sightings), compared to 147 in 2011, were logged. DWI arrests totaled 14, but Chimento said the department was unable to conduct its own DWI checkpoint this year due to budgetary constraints. Butler did partner with other Morris County agencies in a large checkpoint in Kinnelon in 2012.

"We did not utilize those numbers for these statistics," Chimento said of the non-inclusion of those figures in the report.

He added that the department is actively applying for grant funding to be able to conduct a DWI checkpoint in the borough, likely on Route 23, in the spring or summer.

*Information provided by the Butler Police Department.

The department participated in 5,511 community policing details, which partly include Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) instruction, business checks and more. The department assisted with 149 fire assistance incidents.

Total calls for service decreased in 2012 by more than 2,400 calls and Chimento said the drop was partly due to staff. A fully-staffed Butler Police Department is 17 members, Chimento said, although the department was down to 16 in 2012 and with some injuries during the course of the year, even 15 at times. Staff is now back up to 16, but Chimento said the department hopes to get back to the 17-member staff.

Still, he said, in some cases, the numbers remain fairly consistent year-over-year.

"I think we're doing more with less," he said.

The Butler Police Department achieved accreditation in November of 2011. The accreditation lasts for three years, at which time the department will renew the process to continue on.