As the number of people sheltering in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic increased, some crime numbers decreased, according to statistics provided by local law enforcement agencies.
Whether the slump is all due to the pandemic or not is debatable. What is not debatable is that Mountain Home Police Department (MHPD) records show an almost 25% reduction in reported crimes when comparing March 2019 to this March.
Total incident reports were down slightly more than 27% over the same period.
Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel says he was not at all surprised by the latest stats.
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MHPD officers dealt with 34 cases of simple assault in March 2019, when compared to 10 last month.
The department recorded 280 arrests or citations issued in March 2019, which was down by 100 when compared to last month’s figure.
A new service was instituted by MHPD last month, when uniformed officers began delivering medication and groceries to residents ages 65 and older within the city limits. According to the police department, 41 deliveries had been done through April 15.
One statistic where this area differs from many others is the lack of a significant spike in domestic disturbance calls.
In some places, the number of those type calls has been on a steady incline, since people have been shut in their homes and interacting at close quarters for long stretches of time. In Boone County, for example, domestic disturbance and public intoxication calls went up from 41 in March and April 2019 to 65 in March through mid-April this year.
One gauge is the number of petitions filed for protective orders. According to Baxter County electronic court records, 11 petitions were filed in March 2019, compared to 13 last month.
Orders of protection are taken out to stop contacts between the petitioner and another person. The petitions are generally based on allegations of violence or fear of violence.
Despite the number of domestic violence cases being on the upward trend, Serenity, Inc. Executive Director Donna Forrester says they haven’t noticed any difference in the amount of calls they received at the shelter.
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Statistics provided by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office showed a reduction in the number of incidents dealt with by deputies – ranging from serious felony offenses to violations of the county’s vicious dog ordinance.
In March last year the number stood at almost 640, but had fallen to 590 this year.
The jail population has been declining, since the onset of the pandemic. On Friday, the number of inmates housed in the 140-bed facility had dropped into the 60s.
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery has said the drop in the number of inmates is due to a variety of reasons.
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Records show the sheriff’s office and MHPD arrested 147 people in March 2019 and 101 this March.
And, the local county lockup is not the only one seeing population decreases. The Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, for example, is reporting the smallest inmate population in 15 years.
The 1,200-bed facility had only 870 inmates on April 16.
Law enforcement agencies are also warning one type of criminal is becoming more and more active. Scammers are making every effort to separate victims from their COVID-19 stimulus checks from the federal government. One local woman has reported losing $11,000 to a person who claimed she would help her obtain funds from the federal program.
Sheriff Montgomery says he has noticed the uptick in scam reports, but his office gets several complaints already. He adds his office has different ways to educate citizens on scam calls.
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The age-old rule applies: If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
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