Crime low in Bloomington despite fewer officers than other cities
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — It’s known for it’s beauty and livability, but what some people don’t realize is for a city it’s size – 84,000 people in the last census – it’s relatively safe.
24-Hour News 8 spoke with the Bloomington Police Department to find out why.
“We’ve managed to be really efficient with a low number of officers in a community as big as Bloomington,” Captain Steve Kellams said.
Kellams is not just a captain with the department, he’s also an instructor and in charge of hiring new officers. Wearing a number of hats is par for the course in a police department like Bloomington.
“People love Bloomington, it seems like a small quiet town. The reality is it’s a big city and it has big city problems,” Kellams added.
Problems like burglary and car break-ins, and every once in a while, major violent crime.
But the Bloomington Police Department said their record of solving said crimes speaks for itself in the numbers.
According to the FBI and the Department of Justice, the crime rate in other Indiana cities that are similar in size, is 46.7 crimes per 1,000 residents.
In Bloomington that number is just 33.2. And when 24-Hour News 8 took a closer look at the number of police officers per 1,000 residents, we found only 1.2 in Bloomington. In other Indiana cities of similar population size, it’s two police officers per 1,000 residents.
“I feel safe in Bloomington,” longtime Bloomington resident Sharon Gates said.
The Bloomington Police Department points to a number of reasons for their success, things like community policing, excellent training and good recruitment.
The department recently hired four new officers, all Indiana University graduates.
“Throughout my childhood I saw police officers and respected the work they did and I wanted a job that would keep me active and involved with the community, and especially in Bloomington, that’s a great way to do it,” Bloomington Police recruit Connor Dunn said.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics and Department of Justice, for a population of 50,000 to 99,000, recommends 1.8 officers per 1,000 residents. Without consideration of population, the average ratio of officers per 1,000 residents is 2.5.
At full staff, the Bloomington Police Department is 100. For the department to reach the 2.5 average, they would have to more than double the size of the staff.
