A new report from the Bozeman Police Department captures the department's activity over the course of a year, and shows how the city's crime statistics compare to other areas around the state.
The 2011 Annual Report gives an overview of Bozeman PD's operations.
Chief Ron Price said thanks to a 2007 community-passed public safety mill levy, they've increased in numbers year after year.
Current staffing levels sit at 61, while that number was around 47 in 2007, Chief Price said. And they plan on hiring even more officers.
Chief Price said that allowed the department to implement new programs and resources.
Community education and traffic safety were two resources the police department focused on.
Chief Price said Lt. Mark Johnson has come up with a number of ways to reach out to citizens.
In the last year, the police department created the Bozeman Police Business League, upped their Facebook and Twitter usage and held public information forums.
In the area of traffic safety, the department assigned two officers to specifically deal with traffic stops and crash investigations.
The Annual Report captures that activity and more all in one spot to make it easy for the department and public to refer to, but Chief Price said they look at the statistics throughout the year so they can continuously adjust their inner workings.
"We always try to- during the course of the year- evaluate those things and look at data" he said. "Data is very important when it comes to allocating your resources, getting the people out where they belong."
The Annual Report also lays out Bozeman crime statistics, and compares it to other cities.
How did things measure up?
Turns out Bozeman is the second safest city in the state, with Butte being number one.
Chief Price said it's a great reflection of the police department and community.
"When you boil everything down and you get to the lowest common denominator, the city of Bozeman is an incredibly safe place to live" he said, adding "it's born out of both the statistics and just a sense of safety."
Click here to see the Bozeman Police Department's 2011 Annual Report.
