DELMAR — Calls to the Bethlehem Police Department were down last year, according to its annual report recently released to the public.
In 2020, 20,089 calls were placed to the police department in Delmar. According to a breakdown of service calls, 2,588 were for Emergency Medical Services, the highest number of calls within a category.
The pandemic may have played a roll in the decreased activity, especially in the patrol numbers.
Last year, there were 2,611 motor vehicle stops — less than half from the previous year. There were 7,229 stops in 2019 and 7,991 in 2018.
Traffic and speed arrests were also down by a considerable amount. From 2018 to 2020, traffic arrests went from 3,985, 3,956, to 1,385. Within the same time period, speed arrests went from 511, 558 to 209.
Conversely, there were two fatal accidents last year, compared to just one in 2019. Personal injury accidents climbed from 121 to 168. Property damage also rose from 645 to 804.
The police report can be accessed by visiting the town website at townofbethlehem.org.
