Police say they expect to see the number of ticketed motorists rise after falling off steeply in the past six months due to changes that followed the onset of COVID-19 virus.
Through August, the number of ticketed motorists in 2020 was down 29% from the year-ago period, from 2,388 to 1,687, according to data released during the Sept. 16 meeting of the Police Commission.
“COVID issues had a lot to do with that,” Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said during the meeting, held via videoconference.
“A lot of people weren’t driving and the officers were kind of responding to the more critical calls that they needed to. We are starting to see motor vehicle violations pick up and enforcement pick up as, more or less, the state opens up and everyone gets a little bit more comfortable. We are going to see that trend up. We are starting to target the locations we are getting complaints on and where we have accidents.”
For July and August, the number of ticketed motorists declined 54% year-over-year, from 463 to 301, according to the police data.
COVID also seen a rise in other types of police calls, according to the data. For example, reports of suspicious people are up 34% year-over-year, while the town also is seeking steep increases in the number of stolen cars and thefts from motor vehicles. Through August, the number of calls reporting psychiatric problems also is up year-over-year, from 21 to 36—a 71% increase.
“I think lots of that is due to COVID 19 and the stressor people are feeling and they are calling us for help,” Krolikowski said “So that’s certainly a good thing because our officers handle that very well.”