| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Games bring no increase in crime
By Laura Hancock
Deseret News staff writer
There's only one day left. But despite pre-Games expectations of crime increases, the actual numbers don't seem to have lived up to the hype.
Preliminary data from local dispatch centers show call volume and the number of calls police and fire departments actually respond to is steady or has decreased.
February 2002 calls to local police and fire agencies have been compared to February 2001 calls. Law enforcement officers are beside themselves looking at the results.
"It's really fascinating to me, there's some interesting dynamics that come into play," said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Doug McCleve.
Call volume for the UHP in Salt Lake County, which patrols I-15, I-80, I-215 and U-201, has been steady since Feb. 8; in part McCleve speculates, because of increased use of mass transportation.
On a typical day 107,000 people ride buses or light rail. During the Olympics numbers have ranged between 171,318 and 202,671, Utah Transit Authority spokesman Kris McBride said. Riders are locals as well as visitors.
Another reason calls are down may be increased law enforcement presence scaring away would-be criminals, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Shane Hudson. More than 15,000 police, military and Salt Lake Organizing Committee security personnel were expected to be in town throughout the Olympics.
"I did a call comparison for the 1st to the 14th of February," Hudson said. "Our call volume is about the same as it was last year at this time."
Call volume for the Salt Lake County Fire Department has been down 7 to 12 percent each day since the beginning of the Olympics, Salt Lake County fire Capt. Jay Ziolkowski said. In addition to fires, crews respond to medical emergencies.
Fewer people at home could be a reason county fire call volume is down. "And some people have left the valley completely," Ziolkowski said.
Salt Lake City police dispatch operators manager Chris Dunn said 911 call volume has been up between 15 and 33 percent daily, but calls for emergency personnel seem to be down, although the exact number hasn't been tracked yet.
Gary M. Lancaster, assistant director for Valley Emergency Communications Center, which oversees police and fire calls for about a dozen Salt Lake County cities, said call volume and response calls are down about 5 percent to about 120 calls a day. "I haven't broken it down to look at the different jurisdictions," he said.
Regardless of the optimistic outlook on the Games, there's still a day left. "We're still here and we're still keeping the plan in place. We're saying, 'Maintain your diligence and awareness and let's keep it going.' "
E-MAIL: lhancock@desnews.com
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February 23, 2002
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