When the Camillus Police Department released their 2008 annual report earlier this year, it served as both a reminder of how much the officers do in the community and a starting point for improvements. Camillus Police Chief Tom Winn said although the department has compiled annual reports in the past, the 2008 version is the most complete and comprehensive and will serve as a template for coming years. “This was to get an overview of the good things our officers are doing,” Winn said. “I just know that it reaffirms with me the volume of calls that these men and women take care of, and complexity of calls they take care of. When you start looking at the amount of work these police officers do its pretty amazing.” A team effort
The report was compiled in-house by department staff using numbers from 2008.
“It was really a team effort, different people provided information, and I just compiled the report,” Winn said, though one member of the staff stood out. Deputy William Wafful played a key part in the report by extracting statistical data from the countywide system and producing several graphs used in the report, Winn said. It is easy to tell that the officers are busy by listening to the radio and shift reports, but to see an entire year of activity compiled makes it easy for officers to see the big picture. “I received word back from officers that it kind of educated them on the bigger picture versus just their own shift and their own assignments,” he added. Uses of the data
One of the purposes of the compiled data will be to help the department determine where and when to deploy resources to meet fluctuating demand. “It really helps us to know where we should be and really helps us to determine the times of day and days of weeks we’re busiest, and allows us to schedule for those things,” Winn said. “And then it allows us to figure out why those things are so.” Traffic safety is one of the top priorities of the CPD, and Winn used the report’s motor vehicle collision investigation statistics as an example of how the information will guide the department in the future. In the entire year, the department investigated 686 motor vehicle collisions, the report indicates. But Winn pointed out that knowing when and where those collisions occur most often – such as Onondaga Road, as Captain Steve Rotunno announced at a recent public safety meeting – can allow the department to be on the offense and help prevent collisions from happening. “Obviously from year to year from this point on we’ll use [the report] as a comparative measure, and it will help us to determine staffing levels and deploy our resources,” Winn said. Proof is in the pudding
The report can also show town residents a side of their police department they may not otherwise see. Winn noted that the department will occasionally hear from residents who say they don’t see officers in their neighborhoods very often. The department performed 13,847 residential property checks in 2008, a clear indicator that officers were dispersed throughout the residential neighborhoods as well as in commercial and high-traffic areas of the town, Winn pointed out. To see the full report, visit camilluspolice.com and click on the “2008 Annual Report” link on the homepage. Annual Report Highlights
Among the facts and figures compiled in the 2008 Camillus Police Department Annual Report, some paint a clear picture of just how busy the officers are: 15,951 Calls for service 2008
686 Motor vehicle collision investigations carried out
13,847 residential property checks completed
Fridays were the busiest days, followed by Monday
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. was the busiest time of day
May was the most active month of the year