HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) - Hot Springs police records show the department reported 44 percent fewer arrests in 2015 compared to the previous year.
There were 2,523 arrests last year compared to 4,511 in 2014.
The 4,864 criminal offenses reported last year were the fewest since 2012, The Sentinel-Record (https://bit.ly/2fIrnKZ ) reported.
Police chief Jason Stachey attributed the overall reduction in crime to the opening of the Garland County Detention Center in June 2015. Stachey said the facility’s ability to hold more inmates compared to the previous detention center has had an effect on crime.
The current facility can hold 346 inmates. The old detention center was constructed to house fewer than 90 inmates, but regularly housed more than 200.
“Individuals who committed some of the smaller misdemeanor offenses, we’d issue them citations because there was no place to put them,” Stachey said. “With the new jail, there’s a whole lot more capacity.”
According to Stachey, area churches and community groups have helped lower the number of offenses and arrests by addressing social issues.
“In Hot Springs, we’re lucky to have a lot of different community resources and nonprofits that help with housing, education and other issues that five or 10 years ago police were asked to handle,” he said. “They’ve provided us with assistance that’s been vital, like with the mentorship of young people going on at churches, the YMCA and other programs.”
Stachey also gave credit to increased citizen engagement for assisting police in responding better to criminal activity.
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Information from: The Sentinel-Record, https://www.hotsr.com
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