By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green Police responded to 26,667 calls for service last year, including four murders and one vehicular homicide.
Looking back at 2023, Bowling Green Police Division reported an increase in violent crimes, more people reportedly being scammed out of money, and fewer intoxicated drivers, compared to the previous year.
The city saw four intentional murders, according to Lt. Adam Skaff, who is the public information officer for BGPD. Though there have been several incidents of people charged for providing drugs that resulted in overdose deaths, the last time Bowling Green had an intentional murder was 2013.
Bowling Green Police were called to respond to 25 violent crimes last year. That number includes murders, assaults, rapes and robberies. Officers were called to 393 property crimes, which include offenses like burglaries and thefts.
According to police statistics gathered in Ohio, when compared to other Ohio college towns with smaller populations, Bowling Green had fewer violent crimes and more property crimes. Athens recorded 29 violent and 341 property crimes, and Kent had 47 violent and 339 property crimes.
Getting a handle on the number of domestic violence calls in BG is difficult, since those reports can be logged under several categories like choking, stalking, assault and menacing.
As for traffic stops, BGPD issued 2,755 traffic tickets, with 1,336 being criminal citations. Another 5,810 warnings were issued for traffic violations. That’s two out of three traffic stops resulting in warnings rather than tickets being issued, Skaff said.
The number of incidents involving drivers under the influence seem to ebb and flow in the community, Skaff said. Last year, the police issued 148 OVI citations, compared to a low in 2020 of 112, and a high of 255 in 2006.
Services in the community that offer rides to get intoxicated people back home safely are helping, he said.
“That’s a win for the community,” Skaff said.
The police division is hearing from more residents reporting they have been scammed over the phone or online, with 51 reports in 2023 compared to 30 the year before. Skaff suspects there are far more scams that go unreported. And self-checkouts at local stories seem to have led to more shoplifting reports, he said.
All totaled, BG Police logged 2,732 violations last year compared to 2,703 in 2022.
Following are police stats from 2023, along with those from 2022.
- Murder: 4; 0
- Negligent manslaughter: 1; 1
- Kidnapping/abduction: 1; 1
- Rape: 6; 8
- Aggravated assault: 16; 20
- Simple assault: 123; 119
- Intimidation: 20; 36
- Arson:1; 1
- Extortion/blackmail: 1; 3
- Burglary/breaking and entering: 28; 27
- Pocket-picking: 62; 59
- Shoplifting: 104; 126
- Theft from a vehicle: 22; 31
- Theft of vehicle parts: 15; 25
- All other larceny: 156; 137
- Motor vehicle theft: 4; 10
- Counterfeiting/forgery: 41; 33
- Swindling under false pretenses: 14; 16
- Credit card or ATM fraud: 19; 7
- Identity theft: 34; 23
- Stolen property: 10; 16
- Damage/vandalism of property: 197; 239
- Drug violations: 203; 188
- Pornography/obscene material: 4; 3
- Weapon law violations: 15; 14
- Disorderly conduct: 485; 418
- Driving under influence: 148; 189
- Drunkenness: 73; 49
- Family offenses (nonviolent): 9; 20
- Liquor law violations: 334; 308
- Peeping Tom: 1; 0
- Runaway: 4; 1
- Trespass of real property: 259; 240
Many other police responses didn’t result in arrests. For example, officers last year handled 132 calls about animals, 122 civil disputes, 36 custody disputes, 13 natural deaths, 6,286 requests for extra police patrols, 24 fireworks complaints, 525 requests to check on someone’s welfare at their home, 107 calls to “keep the peace,” 196 noise disturbances, 419 suspicious people and 421 suspicious vehicles, 774 car crashes, 367 alarms going off in homes or businesses, 73 fire scenes, and 215 calls about juveniles.
The Bowling Green Police Division currently has 41 sworn officers, from Chief Tony Hetrick on down. The city has granted the division permission to add two officers.
Skaff explained the greater demands on the department, with multiple officers deployed at any given time, plus investigations becoming more complex. The department has to rely on overtime to fill some shifts, with concerns about burning out officers due to the demands.
“Being short-handed due to things out of our control doesn’t allow us to do a lot of proactive policing,” Skaff said.
Bowling Green Mayor Mike Aspacher has also identified the police station as needing updates and expansion.
“So we can better serve the citizens,” Skaff said. “We’re at the exploratory stages.”
The downtown police station is housed in an historic building that has been renovated in the past into a maze-like layout that is not user friendly for employees or for the public.
Skaff said the police division wants to respect the history of the building, while modernizing the space.
The one certainty is that the police station will remain in the downtown, where many of its calls originate.
“We want to be central to the community,” Skaff said.
