Figures presented recently to the Escalon City Council by Police Chief Mike Borges show an overall 16 percent reduction in the crime rate from 2013 to 2014.

Total incidents for 2014 were 12,463 compared to 11,773 in 2013 according to the report provided by Borges and the calls for service were 4,996 in 2014, down from 5,235 in 2013.

That actually is misleading, said Borges, as there were more officer-initiated contacts as police were more proactive and often made contact before a resident had to make the call to request service.

“That’s a good thing,” Borges said, noting that having the officers be proactive is a way to help head off potential crimes and is indicative of the enthusiasm with which officers are approaching their job on a daily basis.

Of major crimes, Escalon reported no murders in 2013 or 2014, with no rapes reported in 2014, down from two reported in the city for 2013. There were two robberies reported in 2014, while none had been reported in 2013. Aggravated assaults also rose slightly, up to 10 cases from nine, while simple assault showed a 36 percent decline, dropping from 61 reported in 2013 to just 39 reported in 2014.

Also down was burglary, dropping 30 percent to 41 reported burglaries in 2014 from 59 reported in 2013. A slight decrease was reported in larceny cases, down to 108 from 113 the previous year, but stolen vehicles were on the rise, up 14 percent with 22 vehicles reported stolen in 2014, up from 19 a year prior. One arson was reported each year, with the total major crimes reported at 222 cases for 2014, a 16 percent drop from the 264 in 2013.

“Our officers are spending more time out there,” Borges explained. “They made more arrests, we made 300 more traffic stops during the year, again, being proactive.”

Total officer reports were 1075 in 2014 and 1129 in 2013, while total citations issued for 2014 were 570, up from 447 in 2013. Felony cases in 2014 were 226, down from 261 in 2013. Total felony and misdemeanor arrests totaled 313 in 2014, up from the 297 in 2013 and of those 313 for 2014, 212 were misdemeanor arrests and 101 were for felonies. Both were up from 2013, when there were 203 misdemeanor arrests and 94 felony arrests.

Borges said with new officers on board and vacant positions slowly getting filled to bring the department back to full strength, he is pleased with the work that is being done.

“It’s about being in the neighborhoods,” he said of officers getting involved, making contact if they see an open door or leaving a courtesy note if they notice anything unusual while out on patrol. “We are trying to keep people from becoming victims as much as possible.”