2021 police calls up but not back to pre-COVID

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township Police Community Relations Officer Nick Soley presented the police department's 2021 annual report to the board of trustees at their meeting on Monday, May 9, reporting calls for service were up in 2021, but have not returned to 2019 levels, with complaints and crimes in almost all categories down.

Soley said in 2021 there were 26,970 calls for service, which is a record of any police activity. In 2020, there were 23,778 calls for service, and in 2019, the police department received 33,690 calls for service. As of later 2021, when the U.S. Census reported the township's latest population report, there are 44,153 people living in Bloomfield Township.

“Calls remained low due to the COVID-19 pandemic but moved upward toward the later part of the year,” he said. “I expect they'll be back to normal this year.”

The police department divides the calls for service into three categories. Part 'A' crimes are the most serious crimes, Soley explained, including criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, robbery, assaults, intimidation/stalking, burglary, larceny from building and auto, motor vehicle theft, forgery/counterfeiting, fraud and identity theft, embezzlement, retail fraud, drug and weapons violations.

In 2021, there were 716 Part 'A' crimes, compared to 671 in 2020, and 793 in 2019. Of those, only criminal sexual conduct I & III increased and larceny from auto, with eight criminal sexual conduct complaints in 2021, compared to four in 2020 and two in 2019. There were 70 calls for larceny from auto in 2021; 43 in 2020; and 58 in 2019. For larceny from a building, there were 82 calls for service in 2021, 98 in 2020, and 130 in 2019.

There were 25 reports of burglary/home invasion in 2021, 13 in 2020, and 40 in 2019.

There were 57 reports of assaults in 2021, 49 in 2020, and 69 in 2019. In 2021, there were 228 reports of fraud, including identity theft, compared to 250 in 2020 and 257 in 2019.

Retail fraud continued to drop, from 92 in 2019, to 50 in 2020, to 31 in 2021.

There were 38 weapons violations in 2021, compared to 24 in 2020 and 20 in 2019.

Other crimes stayed stable.

Part 'B' crimes are typically misdemeanors carrying a penalty of less than a year in jail, Soley said, including liquor law violations, hit and run accidents, operating while intoxicated, trespassing, vagrancy, and other offenses. There were 309 calls for service in 2021, compared to 389 in 2020, and 381 in 2019.

Part 'C' complaints are typically minor misdemeanors, including warrant arrests, calls for medical emergencies, alarms, animal complaints, property damage crashes, and all other complaints. Soley said there were 23,499 calls for service in 2021, compared to 22,770 in 2020, and 27,605 in 2019.

Soley said there were 13 use of force instances in 2021, accounting for “.0482 percent of incidents involving force. In all 13 incidents, the force used was within department policy, procedure, and Michigan State Law. Furthermore, out of 26,970 calls for service, 1,212 resulted in arrests.”

He said the department is active in community involvement, giving back to the community, from the CoRE mental health co-response team, Special Olympics, Operation Secret Santa, adding a therapy canine, Officer Maggie, and starting a First Responders Food Drive, “which collected huge watermelon containers for the needy. We want to be part of the community. We are part of the community.”

Chief Phil Langmeyer stated in the annual report there are currently 63 sworn police officers, 13 dispatchers, two records clerks, one property clerk, five Bloomfield Village police officers and one administrative assistant.