Cumberland releases annual police report for ’16

DUI arrests down; calls for service have spiked since 2013

CUMBERLAND – After seeing some spikes in 2015, Cumberland last year saw a decrease in DUI arrests, use of force and Cumberland Police Department employee grievances, according to CPD’s annual report for 2016.

One metric that has been increasing is calls for service, at 37,232 for last year. That’s up from 32,936 in 2015, 26,778 in 2014 and 25,080 in 2013. This is mostly due to traffic issues, accidents and property checks, Police Chief John Desmarais said.

Desmarais presented the report to the Cumberland Town Council last week. He wrote in a letter to the Council, “We look forward to working with everyone, from the citizen to the business owner, to the child playing in his/her front yard who waves to our police cruiser as it drives by.”

Of the 37,232 calls for service, the largest share was for property checks, at 39.7 percent, followed by vehicle stops at 9.3 percent.

The 2016 report shows which months saw the highest number of calls for various incidents. April saw the highest number of calls for fires, while May saw the highest number for hit-and-runs and vandalism. There were 33 calls for fraud in September, while every other month was between eight and 19.

Of the 20 calls for stolen motor vehicles throughout the year, seven came in September alone. There were also 20 reports of stolen motor vehicles in 2015, and the number of robberies remained the same from 2015 to 2016, at four.

Another continuation from last year was that those under age 18 have been successful in purchasing cigarettes in less than 10 percent of attempts, the report stated. CPD again received a $1,000 grant from the Department of Health for a compliance/enforcement program with tobacco vendors, which Sgt. Stephen Samek coordinates.

In total, the Cumberland Police Department made 625 arrests in 2016 that were prosecuted by the courts, down from 657 in 2015. The number of DUI arrests plummeted from 43 to 15. All of the DUI arrests from 2016 have been resolved, meaning none are pending in Superior Court, District Court or Traffic Tribunal.

Police conducted 5,495 traffic stops in 2016, resulting in 4,211 traffic-related citations.

Cumberland Police referred 1,954 traffic tickets and 99 parking tickets to Municipal Court, up from 1,275 traffic tickets and 89 parking tickets in 2015.

The Juvenile Hearing Board heard 14 juvenile cases last year, up from 11 the year before. All of the cases were on charges of disorderly conduct, motorcycles on public property, simple assault and battery.

Another increase was in citations issued under Operation Blue RIPTIDE, which provides funding for alcohol enforcement, speed enforcement, seat belt enforcement and child passenger seat safety. The number of citations increased from 1,866 in 2015 to 2,400 last year.

The overall staffing levels of the Cumberland Police Department remained the same from 2015 to 2016, with 43 sworn and 11 nonsworn members of the Department.

Desmarais told the Town Council his biggest concern is having more police officers, noting, “We could use another 3-5 more police officers. I will never say no to additional men.”

In August, Officer John Forrest filled the traffic safety officer position, which had been vacant for about two years. The number of traffic accidents went down from 942 in 2015 to 915 last year, according to the report. Mendon Road remains the top street for accidents, followed by Diamond Hill Road and then Broad Street.

Last year’s traffic calming efforts included the addition of speed limit signs on Reservoir Road and Farm Drive. A stop sign was relocated on Hines Road at the intersection of Bear Hill Drive, to make it easier for drivers to pull out onto Bear Hill Road.

In early 2016, Cumberland Police brought on a Law Enforcement Advocate, who splits her time between the Cumberland, Lincoln and Central Falls police departments. The LEA Program is a partnership with the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center and Day One that involves the assistance of domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

The Cumberland Police Department reported 14 instances of use of force last year, down from 18 in 2015 but up from 11 in 2015. Two involved use of a restraint chair, “due to an out of control prisoner in the cell block, to prevent injury and for the suspect’s safety.”

A taser was used once this year, while it wasn’t in 2015 or 2014. No injuries resulted from use of force this year, according to the report, whereas five suspect injuries and one officer injury came out of use of force last year.

The 14 uses of force spread across 10 men and four women, with 11 white people and three black people.

There were zero employee grievances filed in 2016, the report stated, down from eight in 2015 and one in each of the previous three years.