PORTLAND — It’s not just your imagination. Drivers in Portland did see a lot more blue lights in their rear-view mirrors in the past year.

Police statistics show that Portland officers pulled over 17,204 vehicles in 2010, a 40 percent increase over 2009.

There’s also a soft side to the traffic enforcement.

Police issued 5,524 traffic citations in 2010, down 27 percent from the year before.

The department also had fewer uses of force, fewer injuries to officers and fewer injuries to suspects — reductions that police chalk up to having Tasers.

The statistics are in an annual review the department presented Wednesday at the University of Southern Maine.

They show a 3 percent drop in a broad category of crimes including robbery, burglary, theft and aggravated assault, rape and homicide.

“It’s a very safe city,” said Police Chief James Craig, who has set a department goal of reducing such crimes by 5 percent this year. “I’m more concerned about the perception of the community” and its sense of safety, he said.

The 40 percent jump in vehicle stops is tied to crime reduction strategies, the department’s leaders said.

Cmdr. Vern Malloch said that when an area of the city has an increase in crime, police focus on that area, making vehicle stops when they can.

“We’re not just stopping cars without a reason,” Malloch said after the presentation. “We encourage the officer to make stops for things that don’t rise to the level of a summons.” That might include a car with a headlight out or a recently expired inspection sticker.

“Those types of contacts provide us with the ability of offering an omnipresent police presence, if you will,” Malloch said. Assistant Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said the drop in injuries and uses of force is directly attributable to the availability of Tasers, weapons that deliver electric shocks that are temporarily incapacitating.

Uses of force dropped from 174 in 2009 to 108 in 2010, the department said. Officers’ injuries dropped from 24 to seven, and injuries to residents dropped from 57 to 44.

A spokeswoman for the Maine Civil Liberties Union said that adequate safeguards for Tasers’ use are important in making sure they’re used appropriately.

“We are pleased to see an overall reduction in the use of force,” said Shenna Bellows, executive director. A Taser doesn’t have to be used to be effective, police say. As soon as the weapon’s safety is turned off, a red laser sight shines from it. Many suspects submit to officers as soon as the red light shines on them, Sauschuck said.

Craig said the decline in uses of force saves money for the department, because it means less lost time for injuries and reduced legal liability.

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
dhench@pressherald.com

 

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