That’s according to the Jamestown Office of Public Safety’s 2018 Annual Report, now available at the city website. The report contains data from both the Jamestown Police Department and Jamestown Fire Department.

In the opening message, Public Safety Director/Police Chief Harry Snellings said that the Part I Index Total Crime Rate was down 3.96% compared to 2017, and Property crimes were down 7.9% compared to 2017. However, violent crime incidents rose by 15.46%.

The crime index, developed by the FBI, is composed of selected offenses used to gauge fluctuations in the overall volume and rate of crime reported to police. The offenses included are the violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, in addition to the property crimes of burglary, larceny, and auto theft.

In the violent crime category for Jamestown, both Rape and Aggravated Assault saw significant increase. The rape incidents went up from 10 in 2017 to 30 (200%) in 2018 and the aggravated assaults up from 138 in 2017 to 150 in 2018 (8.7%).

Among the other key findings in the report, the Jamestown Police Department responded to 36,430 calls for service last year. This was an increase of about 400 from the previous year.

The report also stated that property crimes in 2017 and 2018 were down nearly 25% compared to the previous five years, calling it a significant change in the number of property crimes, not likely to be the result of chance fluctuations in criminal activity.

As for drug offenses, those arrests are tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, so the specific number of cases the city police were involved in for last year was not provided. However, the report did indicate the amount of drugs confiscated last year, with all major categories – including heroin and methamphetamine – seeing a decline from the previous year.

“A large-scale drug conspiracy that brought methamphetamine originating from Mexico into Jamestown for distribution over the last several years ended in August,” Snellings noted in the report. “‘Operation Meltdown’ resulted in the indictments and arrest of eight individuals and the seizure of more than seven pounds of methamphetamine. The Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force also seized a record number of illegal firearms throughout the year.”

A link to the full 2018 Annual Police Report can be found online at the city website.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

JAMESTOWN – When Mayor Sam Teresi delivered his State of the City Address on Monday Night, he mentioned two specific types of crime that have been on the rise during the past year. Teresi said that in 2014, the city’s department of public safety plans to focus on both the growing drug problem in the city, along with the increase in arsons.

“During 2014, our outstanding public safety professionals will be intensifying their efforts to attack and further reduce two scourges which threaten the vitality of every area of this city,” Teresi said. “I’m referring to the distribution and usage of illegal narcotics and structure arsons, which not only destroy the fabric and tax base of our community but, even more importantly, needlessly place the lives and safety of our first responders and all of our citizens in jeopardy.”

This was apparently the first time during a State of the City address that the mayor specifically pointed to the growing drug problem, as well as arsons.  The city’s longest serving council member, Tony Dolce (R-Ward II), said he wasn’t surprised that the mayor brought up these two issues, as it’s something all city officials have been keeping a close eye on.

“What this starting to do – as you hear residents say – it’s creeping. It’s starting to creep up. It’s not just this neighborhood or that neighborhood now, its the entire city,” Dolce said. “I think he gets the message and we get the message that we have to be more aggressive and have to go after this. This is a huge quality of life issue.”

As for enforcement, Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings said that his officers will be stepping up efforts to locate the drug suppliers and get them off the streets. He said that while that may be challenging with a limited budget, it is not impossible. He said he will also continue to collaborate with other police agencies, not only in addressing the drug issue, but also the recent rash of arsons.

“It’s a collaborative effort between the police department and the fire department. we work together – they have officers that are trained arson investigators. We also have a couple of detectives that are trained. They work together as a team. We’ve also called in our state resources on a couple of arsons we’ve had. So we always use any and all resources that are available to us.”

In 2013, Jamestown saw a steep increase in the number of heroin and Methamphetamine cases. In addition, there were several arson cases that remain unsolved.