Police saw increase in calls and serious crimes
By Dana Casadei
During the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, May 28, the work completed throughout the previous year by the Bloomfield Township Police Department was showcased during their annual report presentation.
“I want to highlight the wonderful work that we do as an agency and an organization,” said James Gallagher, Bloomfield Township Police Chief. “We pride ourselves on the commitment to our community and the service to our community, and while we’re not perfect all the times, we’re willing to learn from our mistakes, and we’re willing to move past them and give opportunity.”
And he did just that, highlighting their work not only during the annual report – which was also presented by Nick Soley, community relations officer, who created the document – but throughout the evening’s near hour of promotions and retirements and departmental awards given out.
Two of the evening’s highest honors went to Officer Robert Zaremba, Officer of the Year; and Dispatcher Kristi Harms, Civilian of the Year. In 2023, dispatch took 16,824 911 calls, 470 texts to 911, and 55,005 non-emergency calls.
Each of those who received an acknowledgement or award went on to thank the packed room, especially their families.
“It makes our jobs a lot easier because of the support you give,” Gallagher said.
That support shined through in the work done throughout 2023, including 6,074 vacation checks, 323 vehicle lockouts, and over 200 school security checks. All of this, and much more, was completed even with the department down six officers.
Throughout 2023, the Bloomfield Township police department not only saw increases in the number of calls for service they took – just over 26,000, a 1.7 percent increase from 2022 – but also in Part A Crimes, which are considered the most serious types of crimes, like robbery, assaults and high-value larcenies.
This increase in Part A Crimes is a continuation from last year as well, where those crimes were up slightly, primarily because of fraud/ID thefts and robberies. In 2023, that increase was due to automobile thefts, of which there were over 50.
“This is a really high number for Bloomfield Township,” said Gallagher. “With the help of the Troy special investigations unit we’ve identified most of the perpetrators of those crimes and hopefully, they’ll be brought to justice soon.”
Solely did point out that Part B and C crimes were down in 2023, but believed that was because there was such an increase in high value crimes.
There were a lot of fun elements Soley discussed too, including the community work the department does, which every officer enjoys.
There was their work with the Special Olympics, a hunger drive, numerous parades and community events, and their first Youth Police Academy, where graduates were introduced to aspects of policing, such as weapon safety, CPR and traffic stops. For the Youth Police Academy, Bloomfield Township police partnered with the Birmingham Police Department, Rochester Police Department and Auburn Hills Police Department.
This event was so popular that it’s coming back in June.
“We had a lot of fun,” Soley said. “We’re excited to bring it back.”
The police department is already looking ahead at completing goals for 2024, including a continued focus on hiring and developing leadership and roles for those who will go on to fill the shoes of retirees.
