Criminal activity in Bella Vista shot up by 10 percent in 2015, according to the Police Department's year-end report. Despite the spike, which was consistent across all types of crime except sexual offenses, the city was recognized by two national organizations as one of the safest in the nation.
Neighborhood Scout, which provides demographics and statistics for real estate agents, listed Bella Vista as the fifth safest; Safe Wise Security listed it at as the third safest.
The increase in crime compared to 2014 is not surprising--in that year, Bella Vista experienced an overall drop in burglary, accidents and citations.
The most serious crime police dealt with in 2015 occurred in March, when the body of Isiah Torres, 6, was found on March 19. His parents, Mauricio and Cathy Torres, were arrested for rape and capital murder on April 6, 2015. It was the third homicide the department has worked in the past four years.
"This type of investigation is very stressful on those involved," said Police Chief Ken Farmer. "Everyone pitched in and did what needed to be done. The result was a solid case and the arrest of two individuals on capital murder charges. The case is currently working through the court system."
Lieutenant Ryan Harmon added in the year-end report that he hopes for a full conviction in late 2016 or early 2017.
"Officers worked hundreds of hours to build a very strong case against both Mauricio Torres and Cathy Torres," he wrote.
The trial is set for Aug. 22. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for both Torreses.
Several categories of crime reached record levels of activity in 2015. Officers responded to 65 breaking and entering calls, up from 43 in 2014. They also responded to 227 thefts, up from 186 in 2014. Police issued 668 more citations in 2015 than in 2014: 1,648 compared to 988.
Four fatality accidents took place in Bella Vista last year, resulting in six deaths. Police worked 420 motor vehicle accidents.
Overall, dispatchers handled 1761 more calls throughout the year: 19,551 in 2015 compared to 17,790 in 2014.
Although crime was up, Farmer said that the year included many accomplishments.
"Our successes for the year include accomplishing some goals and continuing some worthwhile projects," he said.
The Police Department added two new positions in the fall of 2015 that have not yet been filled. Farmer is looking for a property clerk, which will take over functions involving uniforms, vehicle maintenance and attachment scanning for the reporting system, and a professional standards officer, which will handle evidence collection, background investigations and reviews of uses of force and pursuit cases.
"Having this officer will reduce workloads on other commissioned officers, giving more time for their primary duties," Farmer said.
Police leaders said that they had difficulty finding qualified personnel to fill open positions in 2015. Three dispatchers left the team throughout the year, while one dispatcher, Dillon Pruitt, was promoted to a patrol position. This forced remaining personnel to cover vacant or short shifts while simultaneously training new dispatchers.
By the end of 2016, the Bella Vista Police Department will be fully staffed for the first time in several years.
Police provided more training to officers and dispatchers than in previous years, Farmer said. These classes were a combination of in-house, online and out-of-house. The training was intended to help increase officer professionalism and to contribute to a positive image in the community.
Officers attended a total of 3,242 hours of training in 2015. This is up from 2,869 hours in 2014. Each officer trained an average of 115 hours, which is 20 hours more than in 2014.
Training courses included Pressure Point Control Tactics, Less Lethal Munitions Usage, Taser Usage, Use of Force, Racial Profiling, Drug Investigations, Radar, Street Survival, Sexual Harassment, Firearms, Active Shooter, Field Sobriety Testing, and others.
General News on 05/25/2016