by Dennis Dalman
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Sartell were very busy, hectic days for the police department and its officers, who went rushing to a variety of calls.
Some of the officers worked past their schedules to help out, keeping them away from their families.
At the Nov. 9, city-council meeting, Police Chief Jim Hughes said it was the busiest Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day in his more than three decades on the police department.
Among the calls were these:
One pursuit with suspect arrested.
Eight medical calls.
Seven thefts/shoplifters.
16 vehicles in ditches and accidents, including one that involved driving under the influence.
5 fire calls.
Several burst sprinkler heads, causing flooding of property.
A burglary at Quick Stop on the east side of the city.
In his notes to the city council, Hughes said a quick response by officers allowed them to track the burglary suspect to an apartment where he was arrested and the apartment searched.
In addition to all of that hectic mix of problems, there were reports of suspicious activities, juvenile problems, civil disputes and notifications about doors left open.
Hughes also noted some officers were shoveling driveways at medical calls and helping squeegee water out of properties during fire calls.
“That did not go unnoticed as I received compliments from firefighters and the public for those actions,” Hughes wrote in his report to the council.
A year-end activities report to the city council from the police department noted the following statistics in 2022, compared to the year 2021:
Behavioral health problems/suicide attempts remained steady from 2021 at 15 incidents.
Alarms: up 19 from 2021, for a total of 29.
Crashes: up 8 to 20.
Domestic disputes: up 8 to 10.
Medical calls: up 8 to 10.
Shoplifters: up 12 to 26.
Suspicious activities: down to 16 from 63.
Welfare checks: down to 23 from 34.
Trespassing: Consistent at 9.
